


Eraser Game

by mind_tardis



Category: Game Grumps, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF, 未来日記 | Mirai Nikki | Future Diary
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempted Murder, Bombing, Breaking and Entering, Cults, Death, Divorce, Drug Use, Explosions, F/M, Gods, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Murder, Psychosis, Psychoteeth, Serial Killers, Stalking, Survival Game, Violence, i'm gonna say it again, lots of death, lotsa death, so MANY TAGS LMAO
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:11:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 59,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6842059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mind_tardis/pseuds/mind_tardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael soon learns that a character he dreamed up is more than a figment of his imagination, and the hobby of jotting down everything in his phone has been turned into a tool to predict the future-the ultimate weapon in a high stakes Survival Game. Made to participate in a battle royale with 11 other people over the next 90 days, they all must try and survive until there is only one left standing. The winner will become the new God of Time and Space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. CONSENTES DII

This wasn't supposed to happen. He made a promise. They _both_ made a promise.

But he wasn't moving. Why wasn't he moving?

The distraught one sat on the floor and reached forward, shaking his body.

“ _O-Okay...Ha ha...very funny..._ ”

He just laid there on the floor, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, foam dribbling out from the corner of his mouth.

The distraught one shook him a second time. No response. More tears started to well up in his eyes. They did everything right. He promised. He promised that this would work. He couldn't be a liar. Not now.

“ _C-Come on.._.”

He shook him harder. No answer.

“You're scaring me...”

He shook him even harder, practically rocking his body from side to side.

“ _Wake up,”_ He choked, _“Wake up please! Wake up!!!_ ”

 

This wasn't supposed to happen. It couldn't be happening. Not to him.

He was just trying to teach them a lesson. He just wanted them to feel how he felt.

He sat there in the dark room for some time. He ignored the sour smell that attacked his nostrils, and the sound of flies buzzing too close to his ears. Instead he just looked right at them, their bony hands reaching out, clawing fingers still latched desperately to the flooring. Their hollow faces were pressed up hard against the steel bars, their teeth exposed like a pair of feral wolves. They were forever frozen in that position: feral, starving creatures who did whatever they could to survive for however long. They clawed up the carpeting before clawing at each other at the very end.

What a cruel irony.

He stared at them for some time, his knees pulled innocently up to his chest as he sat on the floor.

He was just trying to teach them a lesson. He just wanted them to feel how he felt.

Not a second later, something shifted in the darkness. He looked to his right, his bedroom door flying open and some dark figure running through. Before he could get a good look, the figure shifted and lifted its arm high, not saying a single word as its victim's eyes widened in horror.

The blade of an axe glimmered in the moon's light before coming down like a bolt of lightning into his skull. He let out a shrill scream. The hit didn’t kill him right away. Instead, blood came gushing out from his skull, and he let out a gurgled yelp as he fell over into the spatter of his own blood on the floor. He started whimpering as he reached out for help, pathetically crawling across the floor as he reached out for his bedroom wall.

His attacker said nothing—only watching as the crying victim wrote his last plea for help on the wall.

“ _He—elp me...please..._ ” He begged quietly, death opening it's welcoming arms as it embraced him, “ _...Mi...chael..._ ”

 


	2. VOLCANUS || SIGN UP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the diary in Michael's phone suddenly starts telling him everything that is going to happen before it does, he's thrilled. Everything is able to go his way, and he couldn't be happier. Until it tells him he's going to die!

Despite the bell already ringing, everyone in Brian Wecht's classroom still remained seated. They all faced forward, their eyes on him as he moved and projected the lesson for the day. There was something rather intimidating about the man—perhaps it was the intense, soul wrenching gaze he gave whichever student he picked to answer his questions. Or maybe it was the PhD in theoretical physics that he boasted about on the daily. Each student in his class had a different answer.

All except one in the far back. That one couldn't care less.

It was clear to the teacher, and anyone else who had their eyes on Michael Jones that he wasn't focused on his paper. It didn't take a genius to see the phone he had hidden under his desk. He always had it hidden there. It didn't matter if it was a lab, or a lecture, or a group assignment. Michael was always in the back, eyes glued to his phone.

The teacher's eyes fell on the redhead for a second, mentally sighing as he went back to his notes. It was a wonder how that guy was a B average student.

Michael took a brief pause to push his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. His thumbs repeatedly worked across the keyboard on his touchscreen, a bored look plastered on his face.  
  
**4/21 3:30 pm – [School, Phys Class]  
** **Wecht's giving another lecture. It's almost time to leave.  
**   
“...And i'd like for everyone to bear in mind the current situation as they make their way home,” He heard the teacher warn, “Stay safe, and stay alert. Class dismissed.”

The teacher stood up from his seat and closed up his book, leaving students in a rush to gather their things, shuffle out of the room, and return to their homes. Michael stood up and grabbed his bag, casually slinging it over his shoulder as he started making his way past the hushed whispers and petty gossip that lingering students usually participated in at the end of the day. Subjects often included: Him. Basketball. The latest episode of Game of Thrones. Him. Social Media Drama. And of course, him.  
  
On the way out, he was in earshot of a small conversation between a student and Mr. Wecht.

“Mr. Free, would you mind dropping these papers off for me on your way out?” He asked, holding out a crisp manila folder. It was nothing too important, a few progress reports for struggling students. The student he was asking was Gavin Free. He was the transfer from the UK, part of a program with a handful of other students from other parts of Europe. It didn't take a genius to see that he'd instantly rise to popularity. His accent, and the high concentration of female students that surrounded him at his desk was evidence enough.

“No sir, don’t mind at all,” He replied, standing from his desk and taking the folder. The girls around him giggled. Michael only rolled his eyes and went back to looking down at his phone.

 **4/21 3:32 pm – [School, Phys Class]  
** **Mr. Wecht asks Gavin Free to deliver papers.  
** **I'm leaving class now. Going home.**

The walk home was nothing special, as usual, but Michael still documented it in his phone. He didn't know how he got the idea going, but it went from becoming a thing to pass the time to second nature. He liked scrolling through the old pages at the end of the day. He liked reading how his days went, how life went on around him. It was far more interesting to observe, to really sit back and watch life unfold.

He pushed open his front door and kicked off his shoes before fully stepping inside. Instead of being greeted with the sound of his mom's shrieking laugh from the living room, or the smell of late lunch cooking in the kitchen, he was greeted with silence. No one home.

He wasn't too bent out of shape about it. His mom was constantly on long work trips as QA for an indie gaming company. He knew he would be home alone for the next few days. His mom would tack up a note on his bedroom door.

He grabbed a bag of chips and a red bull from the kitchen before pressing on upstairs towards his room. He set his bag down on the floor and plopped right onto the dull clean bed. He pulled up his comforter and wrapped himself in it, his eyes falling to a close as he dove back into his fake world. His world where nothing mattered.

“...Deus,” He called out.

When he opened his eyes again, his bedroom had disappeared and before him stood a throne of gold and crystal. Sitting atop was the ruler of space and time, Deus ex Machina. The God was a figment of Michael's imagination. A figurehead who appeared to him in a daydream during Physics class. Deus was massive in size, with fingers like branches on a tree, and limbs that stretched for miles. They had no human face—only the skull of some unknown creature acting as a mask, adorned with markings embedded in the bone. Growing out from the back of the skull were streams of some unknown material, all of it flowing outward like a river.

Michael looked up and watched as the God moved their nimble fingers across strange golden objects. They looked like the keys on a typewriter, and moved as such as the god pressed on them.

“ _Michael,_ ” The god spoke after some time, “ _A moment, please. I am amending a finer point of causality._ ”

“Sounds fun,” The redhead sighed, stretching his arms above his head.

“ _Reality benefits from the occasional jolt._ ”

Michael's eyes narrowed as he let his arms fall to his sides. “You're not gonna start a war or anything like that, are you?”

“ _You dislike violence, Michael?_ ” The God's eye tore away for a second to look at him. “ _Wheels within wheels, lad. Just you wait and see._ ”

Michael scoffed. “Whatever you say.” He whipped out his phone and started typing.

 **4/21 3:52 – [My room]  
** **Deus appears.  
** **Deus is up to something again.**

His attention was torn from the God when he felt his bed sheets ruffle and shift beside him. Out from under the blankets came a small child with silver white hair and violet eyes. It was Ose, a servant of Deus he dreamed up, and demon of the underworld. He was laying stomach down on Michael's bed, a bag of chips in his plump little hands as he crawled up to the redhead's side. The little demon lived to serve the God of time until the seals on his wrists were released. Until that time, he spent most of his days eating and watching Deus work.

“ _Again_ with the diary,” The demon huffed, “How can you have so much to write about?!”

Michael just sighed and kept typing into his phone. “I don't write about me. I write about my day, what I see. I try and keep it as objective as possible—”

Just then a potato chip came flying and hit the side of his head. Ose chuckled lightly and dug deeper into the bag, pulling out another handful.

“So jot this down, then,” He taunted, tossing a whole bunch of chips at his head. Michael leaned back a little and swatted them away. The demon just kept going, throwing chip after chip until Michael gave him a death stare and swiped the bag away.

“Cut it out, asshole!” He barked.

“ _Michael,_ ” Deus called softly.

The redhead eyed the demon viciously for a second before shutting his eyes. When he opened them back up, he was back in his bedroom.

“ _Are you lonely?_ ” He heard Deus ask.

“...Not really,” He answered honestly.

“ _Given the opportunity to reinvent yourself however, what would you do?_ ”

 He didn't answer. He just closed his eyes again, and let himself fall back into his fake world. He looked back up at the God of Time. The God looked back down at him, their face serene, and movements calm.

“ _Suppose I bestow upon you the ability to foresee the future..._ ”

Just then, Michael's phone vibrated beside him. He opened his eyes and furrowed, holding it up to see who it was.

“ _Consider it my gift to you..._ ”

It was an empty text. The sender was Deus Ex Machine.

“Alright, spill,” He demanded, hitting the lock button on his phone before tossing it aside, “What are scheming now?”

“ _A diversion of sorts..._ ”

The redhead huffed, a smirk stretching across his face.

“Whatever,” He replied, shutting his eyes and falling back into bed, “I can always wake up, you know.”

* * *

The city streets were quiet this time of night. This was one of the things he loved about late nights. The streets were quiet, the sidewalks were empty. And the skies were clear with stars. It was the perfect setting to just walk and soak in the scenery.

It was a shame that the woman ahead of him wasn't doing the same.

She wasn't walking. She was running, running far too fast to really take in her surroundings. Sure she was looking around, but not for aesthetic purposes like you would a piece of art. She was looking for an escape route.

It didn't matter to him where she was going. Blood was dribbling down the side of her head and splattering onto the pavement. It was like she was leaving a little trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow. He was drawing closer. She was starting to grow tired. He could tell. Her breathing was loud. Her cries for help were louder. But no one would answer. She turned her head to look back. Her eyes were wide, wide like a little rabbit's. It made him smile. Of course she couldn't see it under his mask, but he smiled nonetheless. He gripped the machete in his hand tighter, picking up his pace as she screamed and took a sharp right into an alleyway.

“P-please not like this” Her voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to the tall shadow in the alley. “I'm not ready!” She cried out.

It didn't matter to him. Her last sight was a large pair of piercing blue eyes as her skull was met with the blade of a machete. Blood and bone splattered all over the alleyway and painted the walls. The sound of hacking and breaking echoed into the night air, falling on deaf ears and getting lost in the sounds of the city.

* * *

The sound of vibrating woke Michael up from his sleep. He had half a mind to turn his phone off altogether, but in the off chance it was his mom telling him something important, he figured he might as well glance at the message.

He lazily reached over and grabbed his phone with a heavy hand, still dazed as he unlocked it and stared at the screen with lidded eyes. He blinked at the message screen a few times, trying to register just what it was he was looking at.

 **4/22 6:59 – [My Room]  
** **scored a basket behind my back doing my morning routine.**

 **4/22 7:05 – [home]  
** **the news ran a thing about the serial killer again. another woman was murdered.  
** **they think the guy took a shortcut through our school to shake the cops.**

 **4/22 7:45 – [going to school]  
** **I ran into Caleb and Chris on my way to school.**

 **4/22 9:30 – [school, math class]  
** **there's a math pop quiz. the answers are:  
** **(1). y = 4x-3 (2). y = 3x+6 (3). Y = 2x+1 (4). A = 62  
** **(5). A = (2/5)^2 (6). A = no answer**

“What the...” Michael sat up in bed and stared down at the screen a little closer. They were diary entries for sure, but when did he write them? He continued to swipe his thumb across the screen, watching carefully as more and more notes started to appear. The dates were listed not only for today, but for hours from now. His whole day was plotted out ahead of time in his phone.

“How in the...” He set his phone down for a second as he pondered what could have happened. “Did I sleep text last night?”

His brows knitted together as he thought it over. After talking to Deus he napped, woke up, ate, played some Gears of War, took a pee break, ate some more, played _more_ Gears...

He rolled his eyes and tossed his phone aside on the bed. “Whatever.”

It was dumb, worrying about it. He decided to put his effort elsewhere and finally got up out of bed. He shed his old Nintendo 64 shirt and changed into his favorite Zelda one. He crumpled up the other and tossed it over his shoulder, not really caring where it landed as he changed into yesterday's jeans and a pair of socks he found stuffed into a corner by his bed.

He grabbed his favorite beanie cap off his dresser and his backpack off the floor. Just as he passed by his clothes hamper, he saw something in the corner of his eye. He stopped for a second and turned to look down at the only thing inside.

His Nintendo 64 shirt.

“Damn,” He remarked, his brows raising at how he managed to score one without looking, “Boosh.”

After getting his stuff together for school, he made a beeline for the kitchen. He opened up the fridge with a yawn and got out a Ziploc bag full of last night's pizza. He placed a few slices on a plate and tossed it into the microwave before grabbing the remote off the kitchen table and turning on the TV. Famed news anchor Joel Heyman was on, and he looked dead serious. He sat firmly at his desk, his hands folded and his expression firm.

“ _In other news, the body of a woman believed to be the latest victim in a string of serial killings, was found brutally stabbed not far from a university student lodging area downtown.”_

“Jesus. Another one,” Michael muttered, digging into the fridge a second time to grab a carton of milk. He opened it up and started taking a huge gulp as the news continued on in the background.

“ _The special task force appointed to bring the killer to justice maintains that this latest murder fits the perpetrator's so-called escalating profile. The killer is thought to have fled capture in this instance by using the nearby school as a shortcut, suggesting a familiarity with the building—”_

The redhead had to keep from sputtering a little as he set the carton down and wiped his mouth. _Déjà vu_ was hitting him hard. He stared at the TV before getting out his phone and staring down at the notes.

 **4/22 7:05 – [home]  
** **the news ran a thing about the serial killer again. another woman was murdered.  
** **they think the guy took a shortcut through our school to shake the cops.**

“...What the shit?” He said slowly, growing more and more freaked as he scrolled through the diary notes.

The day only got weirder as it went on. Everything that had been already written in his phone was starting to happen. Coincidence was taking it to a whole other level.

 **4/22 7:45 – [going to school]  
** **I ran into Caleb and Chris on my way to school.**

Sure enough, the second 7:45 hit, Caleb almost knocked into Michael as he ran up to Chris Demarais' side. Meanwhile Michael stood there frozen, his phone in his hands and his jaw slightly dropped. What on earth were they doing, going the same route he was? They were on the community's ultimate Frisbee team together. Practice usually ran early.

He closed his mouth and shook his head, mentally telling himself over and over not to get freaked out. It was only coincidence, he told himself. Just mere coincidence. He looked down at the next post and read it carefully.

 **4/22 9:30 – [school, math class]  
** **there's a math pop quiz. The answers are:  
** **(1). y = 4x-3 (2). y = 3x+6 (3). Y = 2x+1 (4). A = 62  
** **(5). A = (2/5)^2 (6). A = no answer**

His math class started off normally with taking notes and reading sections from the book. However, the professor pulled a fast one on them and sprung a pop quiz in the middle of a lesson. As sheets were being handed down the rows, Michael's throat clamped up and his heart started pounding. There was no way...

The student in front of him turned around and set down a paper on his desk. He looked at it closely. Six questions. He looked down at his phone from under his desk. Six answers. Were they the right ones? He looked back and forth between the two for a minute, weighing his options before thinking “Fuck it” and scribbling them down.

Throughout the day, Michael's phone made eerily correct predictions. Lindsay almost trips down the stairs. In P.E. he's almost cracked in the face with a tennis ball, but Kdin ran up from out of nowhere and managed to block it. On the way home, Michael notices detectives looking around the area, and they stop him to ask a few questions. Everything on his phone was spot on, and while holed up in his room, engulfed in the imaginary world he created, he stared at it in shock.

“Can my phone see...?”  
  
“ _Quite so,_ ” Deus answered, looking back down at him from the throne. “ _I have an inkling you'll find prognostication very handy._ ”

“B..But that's not possible!” He let out, throwing a hand in the godlike creature's direction, “You're not real! I made you up! How can I possibly know the future? _I_ don't even know my damn future!”

Deus held up one spindly nimble hand and formed a bundle of newborn stars in their palm. _“Do you believe imagination and reality to be mutually exclusive habitats for an entity of my stature?_ ”

Michael stared up at them in disbelief, unaware that Ose had appeared and was leaning on his side sneering, “He's a god, carrot top. He lives where he wants.”

“Jesus!” Michael yelped, taking a large step away from the demon.

“ _And beware the boon of a god,_ ” the entity warned, “ _Yours in particular comes at a price._ ”

Michael's eyes narrowed, frustration now eating at him with his mind still reeling at what was happening. “What do you mean?”

“ _A diary of this kind and its user are as one_ ,” Deus explained, holding up their palm as the bundle of stars turned dark and formed into a model of Michael's phone, “ _Should your phone come to ruin, so shall the march of days it serves as a privileged window upon. Your life will be forfeit._ ”

Michael opened his eyes and looked up at the phone in his hand. It wasn't just mere coincidence. He held in his hand an actual gift from an actual God of Space and Time. This wasn't just any old diary in his hands anymore. It was a Future Diary. Everything he was going to see was already there, written in his notes. Every little detail about what his day had in store...

* * *

“Hey, did you hear about Michael Jones?”

“Yeah, he scored highest in the class.”

“I'm tellin' ya, man. His head's swollen up like a damn balloon.”

“He's been walking around like he's hot shit for the past week.”

“Dude's got a hard wake up call coming his way.”

The gossip never stopped. It didn't bother Michael so much as he walked through the hallways. Most of the time he had his headphones in anyway. He could ignore the whispers well enough, but not so much the angry stares and pissy attitudes he was often met with. A couple kids were even brave enough looking to jump him on his normal route towards home. Of course his phone let him know ahead of time, so the jerk-offs were left standing there like idiots while he went to 7 Eleven to get a celebratory redbull and a bag of Doritos.

The past week had been extremely amusing. Thanks to his Future Diary, he managed to score top marks in all his classes and a 500 in Physics. Behind him was Gavin Free with 491. He seemed to be the only one in school who didn't give Michael hell for it.

Or at least, the only one to not let him now about it to his face.

Either way, Michael was above it all. Right now, in this very moment, he completely and totally won at life.

Little did he know (or perhaps care) that there were others who felt differently.

While Michael was basking in the gift that his diary had to offer, another future diary user stood with a smirk as he inspected the crime scene downtown. He stood in a crowd of bystanders, looking like your average hip young adult with his purple hoodie, slim dark jeans and skate shoes. He watched from afar as the officers snapped pictures of the blood spatter and pointed down towards the chalk outline on the ground.

That only made him smile more.

“The trail's getting hot,” He thought, pulling his hood up to cover his head as he walked away.

* * *

In class, students sat testing quietly as Mr. Wecht read a book at the front. One of the students, named Kerry, suddenly raised his hand high with a whine.

“Uh, Professor Wecht? No offense, but number three is bunk. We never covered this stuff!”

The teacher finally tore his eyes away from his book and stared over at him.

“Is that a fact? I could've sworn we went over it last week, Shawcross,” An amused smirk flashed across his lips as the student looked at him in desperation, “Just do what you can, and be sure to read the study guide next time.”

A low giggle rolled through the classroom as Kerry let out a dramatic groan. The teacher just shook his head and went back to his book. He couldn’t even see Michael smirking confidently, pulling each answer from the future notes on his phone.

“Ugh, why do I need to know this crap?!” Kerry groaned out, his head plopping on his desk.

Michael smirked as he wrote down another answer.

“ _Sucks to be you assholes,_ ” he thought with an internal laugh. He sneered at the backs of everyone's heads, tensing right up when he suddenly met eyes with Gavin at the front. The brunette had turned his head slightly to look back at him. Michael blinked a few times, completely frozen for a second before his eyes shot back down and focused on his paper. When he looked back up, he saw Gavin turn back around and fiddle with his pencil case. Michael swallowed hard, scribbling down the last of his answers, trying not to overthink the weird staring session that just happened between them. He swore it was his imagination, but it looked to him like the guy had smiled at him for a second. He quickly shook it off, assuming it was just some coincidence. Right now, he needed to focus.

That was proving harder than it should have been. As Gavin finished an answer on his paper, he set down his pencil and begun to take out a wad of kneaded eraser from his pencil case. He started to play with it in his fingers – shaping, smoothing, and twisting the wad to create something that Michael and the other students around him couldn't make out. This caught the teacher's attention within seconds.

“Gavin,” He said in a warning voice, “You done with your test?”

Gavin didn’t look up from his work. He just shrugged as he sculpted a tiny head. “Just keepin' my brain occupied.”

The teacher set his book down in his lap and sat up little straighter. “You know we're testing, right?” He asked quietly, watching his student as he shrugged a second time.

“I can do two things at once,” He chirped simply. He smiled lightly as he formed the arms, listening to his teacher sigh before sitting back in his seat.  
  
“Just try not to distract your classmates, please.” He pulled his book back up to his face and continued to read. Once again, not paying any real attention to Michael or any of the students in his class.  
  
  
Michael lingered a little bit behind after the bell rang. He finished up his extra credit work and started packing up his things, growing more excited to be done so he could head home and fire up _Gears of War_. The new DLC was being released today on Xbox Live, and he was eager to get home and download it.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and started scooting past the desks, almost doing a double take when he noticed something sitting on the empty desk in the very front. It was in Gavin's spot, a tiny figurine sculpted from kneaded eraser. Michael stared at it for a solid second, his eyes widening and his stomach twisting in knots. The small body of a child with a long tail, the chains on the ankles and wrists...

It was Ose, and every detail of the little demon sculpted perfectly.

Michael's jaw dropped open for a second before closing again.

“No fucking way,” He muttered slowly, his mind drawing a complete blank as he tried to process what he was staring at, “This is a fucking j—”

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to look at it, his jaw dropping a second time.

“What the fuck?!”

Scrawled across his phone was no longer the words of how he went home and played games until he passed out. What was listed was an entirely different future. A dark, deadly future.

**4/28 6:00 pm [Going home]  
** **I think someone is following me.**

**4/28 6:21 pm [in the building]  
** **I'm cornered by the random killer and murdered.  
** **\-- D E A D  E N D --**

“Dead end?” He quoted, his stomach twisting and aching even more now, “Wh—What?!”

He tried locking his phone and unlocking it. He tried refreshing his messages, pressing the home button repeatedly– the words on the screen still didn't change. According to the diary, according to the future, he was scheduled to die soon. He shook his phone repeatedly, the panic getting worse and worse.

“What the shit is happening?!” He let out, “What happened to the future?”

“ _Your_ future,” A familiar voice chirped from behind him. Michael whipped around sharply and yelped “Jesus!” as Gavin walked in.

“Don't get them confused, yeah?” That same easygoing smile was still on his face strode in and stopped only a few feet in front of Michael, taking note of the panicked look on his freckled face.

“Hi Michael,” He chirped, his accent making his name sound more like “Micoo”, “You got a Dead End, right?”

Michael swallowed hard and took a step back, the red flags going off in his head. “H-How did you know that?”

Gavin took a step forward, his expression eerily sincere. “Saw it comin' a mile away.”

Michael took another handful of steps back as the alarms were practically blaring off in his head. It couldn't be coincidence—getting a warning about his death, and then the most popular, most well-liked student in school cornering him like this. He wasn't about to stick around and ask questions. His mind was screaming for him to run, and he had every intention to listen. Gavin didn't seem phased by it. He just watched, the smile still on his face, even as Michael booked it out of there like his life depended on it. Just as he bolted out the door, Gavin's phone let out a buzzing static hiss in his back pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen, smiling warmly before heading out the door.

His book-bag bounced rapidly against his back as he continued his dead sprint down the block. Frantically, he kept checking his phone, looking, _praying_ for an answer instead of a Dead End. He heard his phone let out a strange tone for the second time and he held it up to look at it. He started panicking as one future was shown before the screen glitched and then showed another.

“What the hell?! How-”

Gavin suddenly rushed out onto the sidewalk from an alleyway, cutting him off. “Will you just listen to me, Michael?!” He begged.  
  
Michael went in the opposite direction and ran again. “J-just fuck off!” He shouted in response, knocking into people around him as he sprinted down the busy sidewalk. He couldn't believe this was happening. There had to be some explanation! Some answer as to why this was happening to him! He took a sharp right and booked it towards an empty building still being worked on. He had high hopes of losing him there and getting a chance to collect his thoughts safely. Once he got inside, he made a beeline for the elevator and hit the button going up. The elevator doors slid open and he practically leaped inside. He mashed the button for the 14th floor and leaned back on the glass wall, taking much needed, rushed breaths.  
  
As the door was near closing, a pair of hands suddenly caught it, starting to pry them open with amazing ease. Standing there with an amused look was Gavin, still smiling lightly, and starting to step in. As the doors closed behind him, Michael kept his back pinned to the wall as he tried to think of a way out. If Gavin really was out to kill him or jump him or whatever, he would have no choice but to fight back. Fight back with everything he had. He balled his hands into fists and took deep breaths through his nose.

“Look, however you're doing this, just back the fuck off,” He mumbled in pure panic, “I'm serious! This isn't funny!” 

“This isn't a joke, Michael.” He answered softly, holding up his own phone. Michael looked down at it and the strange, yet familiar mark on the back of his phone case. It didn't take long for him to know what he was talking about. Gavin had a future diary as well. Michael swallowed hard, reaching towards his bag for anything to defend himself with—he had a pencil in there somewhere.

“Don’t,” Gavin whispered, suddenly taking a final step and leaning into Michael's frame. The redhead bumped against the wall and went wide-eyed as the brit pressed his lips gently onto his own. When he pulled back, Gavin’s forest green eyes met with his.

“We both know you aren’t going to hurt me, Michael,” He murmured, lips still intimately close, “My diary says so. Tends not to be wrong.”

He took a step back, chuckling at the blush creeping up on the freckled man's cheeks. He still stood there frozen, his mind clearly reeling at what had just happened.

“Y...Your diary?” He choked out.

“You don’t have a reason to anyways,” Gavin chirped, “I’m trying to help you after all.” He offered a gentle smile, one that Michael returned with knitted brows as he blinked in confusion. The look on his face made Gavin chuckle and want to lean in for another kiss, but something from the corner of his eye stopped him. His gentle smile fell and his expression hardened as he looked to his right, down towards the lower floors as the glass elevator continued to go up.

“...He's here,”

Michael swallowed hard, trying to find his voice as it still wavered in his throat. “Wh...Who?” He managed to get out. Gavin continued to look downwards. Down at the figure clad in heavy black clothing and a mask. He held a machete firmly in one hand, and a cell phone in the other. Gavin's eyes narrowed.

“The local serial killer,” He answered, “Known to the other diary users as 'Third'. A bad egg.”

“Th...Third,” Michael quoted, still clearly confused.

“He was slated to take you out of the running today with a machete,” Gavin explained, smiling softly, “'Good thing I got the inside track though, innit?”

Michael was about ask him to make some sense, but stopped when Gavin shifted and held up his own phone.

“This lil thing's specialty is keeping tabs on you,” He chirped.

Michael furrowed a little and leaned in, staring at the texts on screen.

 **4/28 5:50 pm  
** **Michael's staying behind for extra credit work.  
**   
**4/28 6:00**  
**Michael discovers Gavin's eraser sculpture.**  
**He's realized the truth.**  
  
**4/28 6:10  
** **Michael takes a back alley at 33 rd.  
** **The Third must be targeting him. I've gotta save my boi!  
**   
**4/28 6:20  
****Michael dies on the 14th floor.**

“You're scheduled to die on the 14th floor,” He explained.

Michael stared at the screen of Gavin's phone and a cold chill ran sharply up his spine.

“But—Wait, hold—all those..." He swallowed hard. "Th-Those entries are about me!”

A soft chuckle escaped Gavin's lips as he looked at the screen.

“Well it wouldn't be very useful to me if it couldn't keep up,” He said with a smile, holding it back up to show him,“ I get the relevant details on your future in 10 minute intervals. The Diary of Future Love.”

“The Diary of...” Michael was starting to feel sick. This was too much. This wasn't happening. Being marked for death by a serial killer, and now being stalked religiously by someone?! He took a series of deep breaths and put a hand to his head, trying to collect his thoughts. He needed to think. He needed to think.

The elevator doors suddenly opened up and rang out freedom. Michael took a step forward. “I need to get off!”

Gavin immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

“You can't, Michael!” He held up his phone to show him the future text, “You'll get mullered off if you get off on 14! The first to go in the Survival Game.”

He reached over and pressed the button for the 17th floor, using his other hand to keep Michael rooted to where he was. He could see the anger and panic clear as day on the man's face. That didn't phase him though. He knew what he was doing was the right call.

“The hell are you talking about, 'survival game'?” Michael stepped forward a second time, only to be pushed back, “Move!”

“No, ya donut! All Future Diary users are in a last man standin' type a thing,” He explained, looking out towards the stairs. He could see Third coming up. “Your entries are too direct Michael. You're making it easy to track you. He's comin' for you.”

It wasn't long before the elevator stopped at the top floor and the two of them got out. The open space and fresh air calmed Michael's nerves a little, but nowhere near enough to feel safe. The sunset cast the city in a pretty orange glow while the sounds of the busy streets surrounded them. The man glanced over Gavin with a mixture of panic and annoyance on his face.

“ _Wow_ this was a great idea! Being on the roof makes getting away a fucking _breeze!_ ” He shouted sarcastically, watching Gavin stretch his spindly arms above his head. His face remained calm, no sign of worry at all. In fact, he seemed confident.

“You know the saying ‘you can run but you can’t hide'? Kinda fits this situation, don't it?” He flashed a gentle smile, “Least up here we can take in the sunset.”

' _Holy shit, he’s nuts. Completely fucking nuts._ ' Michael thought, the panic worsening on his face. A warm breeze blew by, making the cold sweat on his forehead only colder as Gavin watched the sunset.  
  
“This is the perfect place to confront him,” He assured, looking over at Michael with a smile, as if this wasn’t at all out of the ordinary. “I have a plan, boi. Promise.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of throwing knives, leaving Michael to step back in complete shock. “What the fuc—”

“Well I didn’t have a whole lot of time to work with, love,” The brunette responded, flashing a smile. “Now, this knife is gonna make or break your future.” He held out one for him to take, “Hope you're feeling lucky today, boi.”

* * *

 

Michael sat in hiding as he awaited third. His heart pounded like a drum behind his ribcage. He could hear his steps. They were almost inaudible under the pounding from his heart and the shaking in his muscles. In his hand he held his phone, using FaceTime to carefully watch for their target. Gavin's phone laid hidden under a bench with FaceTime on as well, just angled to assist from afar. The redhead gripped the small blade in his other hand, listening to the elevator doors open up and watching as the serial killer walked out onto his screen.

‘ _Come on, come on, take out your diary, asshole._ ’ He thought, gripping his phone even tighter. Gavin had told him that he needed to get Third’s phone. Destroy that, destroy Third.

“ _Remember, a Future Diary is equal parts weapon and Achilles' heel. The fate of a diary and it's user are one._ ”  
  
“Where the hell are they?” The killer mumbled, carefully pulling the phone out, “Hide and Seek, is it?” He started scrolling through the messages on his Murder Diary, looking for any hints to where his prey might be cowering.

Gavin then darted out of hiding to attract his attention, yelling “Hey!” at the very top of his lungs. Right as the killer turned, Michael stood straight up and chucked the knife as hard as he could, hitting the phone dead center through where the camera was.

Michael stared at his result with wide eyes and let out a loud “Holy shit!” as the killer stumbled back in shock.

The masked stranger groaned and sputtered, clutching his chest as if the knife had punctured him directly. Pain and distress was written across his face as a gaping hole suddenly twisted through his chest. His arms and legs started twisting and the sounds of his bones snapping was loud in the air. His body began bending and contorting before swirling out of existence like water down a drain. Michael stood there in complete horror, looking like he was about to vomit. Gavin didn’t look phased by it at all.

“That all we get?” He remarked, looking a little cheated, “Weak. You'd think there'd be a _little bit_ of blood.” 

As the killer's phone hit the ground and slid across the roof, Gavin began stretching out of pure boredom. Michael stood there frozen in place, in utter disbelief at everything he just witnessed. Gavin simply let out a satisfied sigh before letting his arms fall, looking over at Michael with a warm smile.

“Wanna grab a bite?” He asked simply, “Your mum's out tonight, right? It'll be my treat. Can't have my boi goin' hungry.”

* * *

 As the day came to a close, Michael finally summoned the courage to confront Deus about what happened today.

“Alright, what the _hell_ is going on?!” He asked, staring up at the god with anger burning in his eyes, “You never fucking said there were other people running around with future diaries!”

“ _Neither do I recollect saying the gift of future sight was unique to you,_ ” Deus replied calmly.

Michael only huffed, his nose wrinkling as he mumbled “cheap ass” bitterly under his breath.

“ _Calm yourself, Michael,_ ” Deus soothed, “ _I have not been duplicitous. I told you this was a diversion. What's more, boy, you stand as its first victor._ ”

Michael's angry expression quickly fell as he looked up at the throne, “Wait, what?”

Suddenly the world around him disappeared into darkness before going insanely bright. Michael winced and covered his eyes for a second, opening them again once the light subsided. His breath left him as he stood above the world in a haven of clouds. He was standing upon a stone pedestal along with eleven other shadowy figures, all of them placed in a circle. Below each of their stands was a number carved in roman numerals along with a name. Michael looked down at his.

I – IUUPITER

First. He was First. Of course he was First. He looked around at the others.

II – IUUNO

Despite being silhouetted, he could still make some details about second. Male, fairly spindly, hair cut at the shoulders, and a nose that stuck out quite a ways. The baggy layered clothing may have done well to hide his identity from the others, but Michael could tell it was Gavin right off the bat. He kept turning and staring at him with a loving smile, only one future diary user he knew did that.

III – VOLCANUS

The pedastal where “Volcanus', aka Third, would have stood remained empty. Instead, hovering above it were the words DEAD END in red letters.

IV – MERCURIUS

Fourth was a little harder to make out. He was stall, average build, and it looked like he had a decent sized mustache on his face, but that's about as much as he could see.

V – CERES

Fifth was a dead giveaway. It was clear that there was a child in the mix. Short, female with lots of curly hair, and carried a stuffed animal. That only made Michael feel sick. They dragged a kid into this?

VI – APOLLO

It was clear that Sixth was female as well, fairly thin with long hair...

VII – MARS ET VENUS

A couple stood on the same stand. One tall male, a shorter female, both embracing each other lovingly.

VIII – VESTA

Eighth stood proudly where he was. He was tall, kinda stocky, short curly hair, and light reflected off of his glasses.

IX – MINERVA

The guy that stood at Ninth was fairly shorter to Eighth. He was average build, wore glasses, and it looked to Michael that the outline of his silhouette wore some sort of a hoodie.

X – DIANA

Michael observed Tenth closely. Male, shoulder length hair. It looked like there was some sort of watch on his wrist, and he stood there like he was bored.

XI – BACCUS

Eleven looked relatively plain, thus making it harder to distinguish what made him stand out. He was tall and male, and wore relatively plain clothes as far as Michael could tell. He swallowed hard. The lack of details made him the biggest threat for sure.

XII – PLUTO

Twelfth sported the strangest outfit in the group. It was clear he was wearing some sort of suit and mask to hide his identity, that or to weird the others out. If that was the case, he was succeeding in Michael's point of view. It wouldn't be hard to single him out in a busy crowd.

“Congratulations, First,” Eleventh spoke, sounding even more threatening with the niceties.

“Yeah, nice work, man,” The male Seventh added, “Takes some real balls to wipe out a seasoned killer like that.”

Michael was at a loss for words. This was really happening...

Deus stood up from the grand throne and held out their hands. “ _Now that you've all congregated under the auspices of my survival game, permit me to extrapolate on its rules and purpose._ ”

A sliver of relief washed over Michael. Finally, some answers.

Deus continued on. “ _Let us first consider the quaintly named 'Future Diaries' in your possession._ ”

One by one, everyone got out their phones to look at them.

“ _Having begun as ordinary linear journals, their relationship to time has been distorted to afford you a window into the future up to ninety days._ ”

“Question!” Tenth interjected, raising a hand. Deus looked to him.

“ _Speak your mind, Tenth.”_

“How is it that my diary rewrites itself so many times?”

“ _The future is subject to change in response to a user's actions,_ ” Was the answer simply given, “ _For example, consider gaining foreknowledge of some imminent personal catastrophe that is to befall you down the road. When the time of the catastrophe arrives, having said foreknowledge allows to take steps to avoid it. Thus eliminating one future and creating another. A new future begins, and your diary alters to reflect that change._ ”

Michael raised his hand. “Okay, but wait,”

_“Yes First?”_

“My diary's changed without me doing anything,” He remarked, “I didn't even know this Third asshole was after me.”

“ _None of you is the sole determinate of your own future,_ ” The god said firmly, “ _Hence the stakes that render these precedings a test of survival. Once there is confirmation that one user is poised to kill another, a death sentence will be entered, and the words 'dead end' sent to your diary as a warning._ ”

“How are we supposed to know who to kill when we don't know who they are?” Sixth asked.

“ _The Identity of your fellow competitors can be deduced from your diaries,_ ” The god answered, “ _Unveiling your opponents will severely compromise their position. Whosoever receives a dead end warning must marshal all their resources to undo it. Thus, discretion is invaluable._ ”

Michael's eyes fell to the floor before looking forward again. Deus suddenly leaned forward and got right up in his face, causing him to jump back in shock.

“ _You, First,”_ Deus said firmly, eyes boring into Michael's, _“Your death at the hand of Third was written in stone. But miracle of miracles, you took the judgment and reduced it to mere scribbles in the sand. Should we owe this more to cunning than luck, you may very well be my champion_.”

The other users let out dark chuckles and scoffs as the god returned their throne. The entity stood up with hands raised high, and a voice powerful and firm.

“ _Lo! Whosoever weathers the viscous onslaught shall win a throne incomparable_!” The entity announced, “ _Indeed, they will succeed me, bearing the mantle of space-time as its reborn god! Look around you, eleven only remain. Summon forth your warrior heart and vie for the control of the universe!_ ”

“What a way to be on the spot, huh?” Tenth scoffed, earning Michael's attention as he took a small bow, “See you soon, First.”

Just then, Tenth's image went fuzzy before disappearing. One by one, the diary users started fading away, morbidly wishing First good luck in this game that now started. Michael swallowed hard and tried to get his words out, but nothing was coming. They were all looking at him, staring at him like a slab of meat ready to be torn apart. Whoever these people were before the game, they weren't people any longer. They were a bunch of wolves, all of them ready and eager to taste blood in their mouths.

“Relax, man,” 4th spoke, snapping Michael out of his thoughts as he started fading away, “I'm gonna be watching over you. Don't worry.”

“But—”

“ _I declare this meeting adjourned!_ ” Deus called, the congregation chamber disappearing once more, before going back to the throne room that Michael was familiar with. The red head stood there in complete shock, his mind drawing an absolute blank at what had just happened. He now officially had a target seared onto his back. He wasn't safe anymore. His life was forever changed.

The very fact hit him like a lead weight and caused his knees to give out. He fell to the cold hard floor, his eyes starting to burn and sting with tears.

“This is...This is fucking insane,” He choked out.

“...Don’t worry Michael,”

Slowly the redhead turned around to see Gavin standing there, a blush creeping up on his cheeks as he smiled.

“It'll be okay,” He assured softly, his smile growing shy and sweet, “Gavin's here to protect you.”

The sickly feeling in Michael's stomach only grew worse, and suddenly, the tears came spilling out of his eyes. Gavin walked up to him and knelt down, taking him into a warm embrace. Michael didn't hug him back. He didn't move a muscle. All he could do was sit there, sit there and let the tears fall as his stalker hugged him and held him close.

“I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe,” He said, gently running his fingers through Michael's soft, rust-colored curls, “I will. 'Cause that's how much I love you. You're my boi, Michael..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYOOO! So I really liked the story from the show Future Diary, (it's sooo dark and good, i highly recommend) and i wanted to try and incorporate the story from the anime with the people from RT/AH to create a sort of Psychoteeth fic. Idk why, that's what I get for being Let's Play-loving / anime trash I guess haha hah h a … ha.  
> Anyway, this story is going to be largely AU, and probably seem ooc at some points, but it's gonna be a fun read, i promise lol.  
> Wellp! That's all i got for ya. Let me know what you guys think!


	3. MINERVA || CONTRACT TERMS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The target on Michael's back only gets bigger after Gavin helps him take out Third. A bomb wielding Diary User infiltrates the school and puts the two boys through a new game entirely. As the stakes in the game are reaching new heights, Michael now has to decide if he can trust Gavin to be on his side, even though he's been stalking him!

No matter how hard Michael tried, he still couldn't get to sleep. It had only been 2 days since the game started, and no one had tried to kill him yet. Unless of course, they secretly were with sleep deprivation. In which case, Gavin would be sole culprit. If it weren't for the fact that he was a target, he would've shut his phone off by now. The brit had been sending text after text, the waiting periods between them getting shorter and shorter. Michael had counted 6 before he got in the shower, and then 20 more when he'd gotten out and started getting ready for bed.

Now here he was, wide awake as text number 40 came in, and his phone buzzed next to him on his bed. He picked it up and hit the wake button on top of his phone, reading through the unread messages.

 **[040] 4/30 11:20 pm  
** **Gavin Free  
****> Did you go to bed?**

 **[039] 4/30 11:18 pm  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> Michael ❤ **

**[038] 4/30 11:15 pm  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> You're still awake, right?**

 **[037] 4/30 11:11 pm  
****Gavin Free  
** **> Make a wish!**

 **[036] 4/30 11:06 pm  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> Miss my boi. **

Michael was losing his mind. Where the hell did this even come from?! He barely spoke to Gavin at school, let alone gave him the time of day. Yet here he was, getting love texts left and right and being called 'his boi'. The frustration was eating at him. Where did this guy get off acting like this?! It was creepy, and wrong. He had to say something. He had to get him to stop. He needed to sleep!

He let out a growl and unlocked his phone, rapidly texting away and letting it all out before hitting send. After that he locked his phone, tossed it over in the clothes heap by his closet, and pulled the blankets up over his head. He was done. Done!

* * *

Back home, Gavin was sitting in the dark, staring at the screen with a smile as he got a text back.  
  
**[040] 4/30 11:20 pm  
****Michael ❤  
****> Gavin, I'm trying to sleep.  
****Stop.  
  
** A small chuckle escaped his lips as he sent a text back before officially putting away his phone. He crawled back into bed and snuggled into his pillow, a warm smile spreading across his face as his eyes closed shut. 

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as Michael made his way to school. He tried to read over his phone to see what the day had in store, but he couldn't focus. He couldn't get over what had happened to him. The other day, did he really kill Third? The guy was a serial murderer to begin with, and he was planning on making him his next kill. That was self defense then, right? Everything that this survival game entailed, it would be out of self defense. It had to be. Everyone was out to literally _kill_ him...

It was all too much to think about, to really swallow and take in. All he really knew was that Third made the first move and he fought back, and having this phone made him a walking target for the remaining players. That thought alone made him feel sick.

In class, he and the other students were surprised to find a substitute at Mr. Wecht's desk instead of Mr. Wecht himself. The man rarely took a sick day, even when he really _was_ sick. It must've been really bad. Still Mr. Ellis (nicknamed Gilby by the other staff and students) was a good replacement. Despite not knowing a damn thing about Physics, he did know a thing or two about movies, and he always brought in good ones when he subbed for other teachers. Today he brought in Clash of the Titans, considering that the literature class he was subbing for next hour was on Greek Mythology.

During the movie, Michael kept looking down at his phone. He couldn't focus. He needed to think of a plan. The wolves were coming from him, he needed some sort of strategy to either fight back or wait it out until it was safe. What could he do, though? Who could he turn to about this?

His attention went over to the front. Gavin was watching the movie intently, occasionally joking with the student seated next to him in a hushed whisper. Michael's stomach started to twist even more. Sure, he was a little kooky, but thinking back to how calm he was when the serial killer was after him, how he managed to help him avoid his Dead End...

“ _No,_ ” Michael thought with a shake of his head, “ _Hell fucking no. It's tempting, but the guy's a stalker!_ ”

Still, he couldn't get the image of the other contestants out of his head. The look in all their eyes, the way they wished him good luck in the Survival Game...

The minute class ended, Michael got up from his seat and walked over to the front. He looked hesitant, watching in nervous silence for a second as Gavin was busy gathering up his things.

“Uh...” Michael cleared his throat before speaking up again, “H-Hey, can we uh, talk for a sec?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, fidgeting as Gavin grabbed his backpack and shook his head.

 **“** Not a good time Michael, I’m gonna be late to PE.” He started to walk away before turning to the redhead, his smile gentle, calm, “Just hit me up later on today, yeah? Try to wait it out.” He gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving with a couple other students. Michael stood there alone, slightly confused at how casual the guy was acting compared to last night.

Just as he was about to walk out, another guy suddenly came up to the door and knocked on it lightly. He looked to be around Michael's age, sporting a purple hoodie and thick frame glasses with some checkerboard vans.

“Uh, hey,” He spoke, looking a little nervous as shoved his hands in his jean pockets, “Do you know where the faculty lounge is? I got turned around.”

“Down at the end of the hall,” Michael answered, taking a step forward.

“Cool, cool,” The stranger replied, holding a hand out to stop him, “Oh! Also, do you know if Professor Wecht's in today? He's in this class, right?”

Michael didn’t move, his brow raising slowly in confusion as the student spoke up again.

“I mean, he’s your Physics teacher, right?” A smirk stretched across his face before he moved, stepping towards him slowly. “Did you know he also happened to be a killer?”

Michael stood there in complete silence, his mind shutting down as the stranger smiled wider and inched closer to him.

Meanwhile in the locker room, Gavin was busy chatting with his other classmates and putting on his PE uniform. Whilst in the middle of slipping on his shirt, his phone let out a static hiss, warning him that the future was rewriting itself.

“It's a little fucked up, really,” The stranger remarked, stepping further into the classroom as Michael stepped back, “Seems the teacher's been out for a couple days. Isn't that a little on the suspicious side? I mean after all, the _killer_ died only a couple days ago too...”

Michael's stomach dropped. The stranger only scoffed.

“His Murder Diary didn't help much when it came down to it,” He remarked, “He was in the process of hunting down First when he got knocked out of the running. Long story short, the guy shaping your little mind was Third.”

The look on the redhead's face was all he needed for confirmation. The guy looked about ready to vomit and pass out. He smirked, realizing his suspicions were correct. He'd finally made it to the end of the trail. He finally closed the distance between them and reached out, yanking the phone from Michael's hands to look at it.

“Sweet phone you got there,” He pointed out. Michael immediately yanked it away, retreating further back into the classroom and almost tripping over a desk. His little panicked display made the stranger chuckle.

“Fucking nailed it,” He remarked, watching Michael's eyes widen and his jaw drop in shock.

“You’re First, aren't you?” He asked, his smile growing wide, “Bitchin'. Sorta wished we could have done this outside but YOLO!” He shouted out, suddenly bolting forward as Michael's phone let out a static hiss. The redhead started running backwards, letting out a swear as he tripped over his own feet and fell over. He hit the ground hard with a thud and he winced, scrambling to get hold of his phone and protect it. The device let out another static hiss and he looked down at the screen, his mouth dropping.

 **5/02 11:04 am [School]  
** **Explosions go off all over the school.**

 **5/02 2:04 pm [School]  
** **I'm killed by the Ninth's explosives.  
** **\- - D E A D  E N D - -**

“Holy fucking sh—”

“NO!” Gavin screamed out, running in and swinging a fire extinguisher at the man. The stranger jumped back, avoiding the student's swing and resting on the open window sill. Gavin rushed to Michael's side, getting in front of him as the stranger let out a laugh.

“Too late, assholes!” He mused, pointing a thumb at himself, “The name’s BrownMan, aka Ray, aka Ninth! And I've only got two words for you, First.”

He jumped backwards out of the room and smiled as he hit the center button on his flip phone. “LLLET'S PLAY!”

Gavin immediately grabbed Michael's hand, pulling him out of the classroom and down the hall. Behind them, explosives started going off one by one down the hall. The students simply sitting and studying in their classrooms were suddenly engulfed in the powerful blasts, limbs and body parts flying everywhere along with the chunks of concrete and burning wood. The alarms started blaring as smoke and fire started filling the hallways. Gaping holes started littering the classrooms, bodies from students and faculty now laid there burning and crushed under the ruins. Gavin held Michael close, his hug tight as he tried to protect the redhead from the damage. Michael tried blinking back the tears, almost shaking in panic as dirt and dust covered his glasses.

“I-I’m...gonna die...in three fucking hours,” He stammered in Gavin's arms.

Gavin loosened his hold and looked down at Michael with a smile. “Hey, we're gonna survive this, boi. You and me.” He gently cupped Michael's cheeks and wiped the dirt away with his thumbs, “He's not gonna get you, 'cause _I'm_ gonna get _him._ ”

The tone in his voice was chipper, his smile sincere. He was completely alright with killing another person. Michael stared at him in disbelief, his vision going blurry as Gavin carefully slid off his glasses and started cleaning the lenses with his PE shirt. He carefully put them back on Michael's face, smiling softly as he lovingly rubbed the frightened man's arms.

“I've got your back, Michael,” He muttered, leaning in and smiling as they gently touched foreheads, “You're my boi...”

The conflict was clear on Michael's face as he stared over at the fires burning the pile of rubble behind Gavin. It was only going to get worse from here on out. He knew that now. The best chance he had at getting out of this alive was if he and Gavin stuck together. At least for now. The guy may not have been stable, but he's proven time and again that he's better than nothing.

“Gavin,” He said slowly, looking up into the brunette's forest green eyes, “I need you to get me through this.”

A faint blush creeped up onto Gavin's cheeks. He looked relieved, almost excited even.

“For you love, anything,” He remarked, his eyes fluttering shut as he leaned down into Michael's lips. Michael screwed his eyes shut and kissed back, trying to push out the thought of appeasing his stalker in order to survive a fucked up death match.

* * *

 Maneuvering through the school was proving to be harder than either of them thought. With every move they made, their futures kept on changing. Their phones kept going off left and right. They'd make one move, and Ray would make another. They'd take one path, and Ray would blow it up. All three diaries were interlocked in the ultimate chess game.

An hour had ticked by since the first attack. Ash was raining down from the smoke-filled sky like little snowflakes, turning the fresh air bitter and strong with the taste of smoke. Ray was standing proudly in the school's quad with a megaphone in one hand and a detonator in the other. He looked around at his work proudly; half the school's building still aflame and completely destroyed. Motion sensors were set up everywhere around the school's hallways. Every time First and his little boyfriend moved, that part of the building they were in would burst open and explode into a fiery mess. They were like rats in a maze, skittering blindly down random hallways, trying so desperately to find safety...

Ray smirked as he set off two more bombs, the explosions sending glass and stone flying, stirring dust and wind around him. He pulled out his phone at the sweet sound of the future being rewritten.

“Squirmy little fucks, aren't you...” The thought of First running around made Ray laugh before holding up the megaphone and turning it on.

“Newsflash, losers!” He called out to the surviving students in the remaining parts of building, “If you haven't caught on yet, this entire school's been rigged. I've got enough explosives in there to make the Unabomber look like a punk bitch, so don't do anything stupid to get you or your classmates blown to hell!”

He listened to the muffled screams and cries from the students and faculty around him. Music to his ears.

“In other words, you're all my hostages, so get comfortable!” He barked, “BrownMan, out!”

* * *

“Looks like everyone's holed up in the other building,” Gavin announced, holding a piece of broken mirror up to the open window. “They know he's serious.”

Michael looked down at his phone for any changes or updates on Ray's next move. Nothing yet. Only that they were trapped on the stairwell. Then it rewrote again.

“A bomb's about to go off in... 2-C.” Gavin looked up at the class sign above them, his eyes widening before he jumped forward and pushed Michael back to shield him from the blast. The explosion rung through their ears and Michael gripped onto him tight, the ground beneath them shaking and cracking before going still again. A mix of smoke and dust filled the air, causing them both to cough up a storm as they booked it down the hall hand in hand.

“Quick! Read the next entry!” Gavin shouted, watching Michael pull out his phone to read the next post.

“Another one down the hall!” He let out, yelping as he was yanked in a different direction.

The two of them stopped in their tracks as another explosion went off in the bathroom. As soon as the blast subsided, Gavin pulled Michael forward and the two of them booked it down the hall. They were doing well to avoid the blasts so far, Michael thought, but that quickly got shot down as another explosion went off directly behind them. The force pushed him forward a little and he knocked into Gavin, the brit quickly gaining his footing and catching him before they both tumbled over. Quickly they turned around and jumped down into the gaping hole in the classroom. Just as Michael made it down, Gavin turned to look back at him.

“What’s it say now?” He asked, watching as Michael pushed up his glasses to read his phone carefully.

“It says-” He didn’t get to finish before an explosion went off behind him. He was thrown forward and smacked around hard, pain shooting through his mouth as his teeth mashed against his lower lip. He tried to bounce back and get up, but the shock of it all kept him anchored to the floor.

“Michael!” Gavin let out, frantically scrambling across the floor and kneeling beside him. He carefully turned him over and nearly lost it at the sight of his bloody lip. He quickly peeled his shirt off without a second thought and pressed it to the gushing wound.

“Are you okay? Can you move?!” He asked, his voice cracking as his eyes started to sting with tears. Michael looked up at him, blinking without saying a word, trying to register what he was seeing. The heartbroken look on Gavin's face, the way his eyes got so big and glossy as they filled with tears...

“Michael, my boi,” Gavin sniffled, leaning down to kiss his forehead, “Tell me you're okay.”

Michael managed to nod and move his arms, the feeling in his limbs finally starting to come back.

“Y-yeah,” He coughed through the shirt, pulling out his phone slowly with his other hand, “I think so.”

Gavin sighed in relief, kissing his forehead a second time before helping him sit back up. They took a few moments to recuperate before Gavin's phone went off again. He looked down at the screen, his eyes widening and the color draining from his face as he saw the new future.

 **5/02 11:12  
** **There was an explosion near Michael.**

 **5/02 11:22  
** **Michael avoided the explosion. Yay!**

 **5/02 11:32  
** **Michael was badly hurt by the explosion.  
** **Oh no! He's gonna die.**

 **5/02 11:42  
** **Michael's hurt so badly, he can't move.**

Ray set off another charge. Another round of explosions ripped through the building, causing more students to scream in horror.

Michael blinked, looking eye to eye with Gavin as he hovered over him, keeping him covered from the blast.

“Not to worry,” He chirped simply, “I'm good at keepin' an eye on my little Michael.” He smiled, trying to sound sweet. After what Michael's seen and read, it sounded more creepy than endearing.

“New plan,” He heard the man above him chirp. Gavin slid off of him carefully and held up his phone.

“We'll collab the info in your diary with the info in mine to piece together every little thing that's gonna go down within a mile of you,” He smiled brightly, clearly growing excited, “We can be the ultimate team, Michael! We'll be unstoppable!”

Michael thought about it for a second, and was actually really impressed with the plan. “That's...actually really smart.”

“I told you I got your back, boi,” Gavin beamed brightly at him, “Think of me as a survival resource you can tap whenever you want!”

That last part made Michael's immature side snicker out loud. He didn't mean to, especially given the situation they were in, but Gavin's wording couldn't have been any more hilarious.

“Phrasing,” He joked, slowly getting up off the floor. He gripped Gavin's shirt tight and dabbed his bottom lip a little before taking it off to inspect it. The bleeding had stopped for now.

He handed back the crumpled up shirt and awkwardly apologized for getting blood on it. Gavin took it back with a smile despite the blood drips and slipped it back on with ease.

“So what do we do now?” Michael asked, looking down at his phone to seek some answers.

“We still have an hour before your Dead End becomes reality,” Gavin replied, “Let's try to get to the other building with our classmates.”

The look on Michael's face was telling him 'hell no', but Gavin simply patted him on the shoulder to let him know it was okay.

“They know us Michael, they’re our friends. They're bound to help us!” He grinned, holding his hand out for Michael to take. The redhead was a little skeptical. He wasn't exactly the most well-liked person in school right now. But, maybe this time they would actually help the two of them. He had Gavin on his side, and they loved to be there for Gavin, at least.

Michael gripped Gavin’s hand and stood up with a small smile, nodding, leading him forward into the hall towards the other building. Gavin followed him closely the entire time, his chipper smile fallen into a dark frown behind Michael's back.

‘ _Why's his Dead End scheduled at 2:04?_ ' he thought to himself, ' _Ray could've killed him at any time, why's he putting it off?...’_

* * *

Sirens blared outside the school as the Special task force surrounded the area. Snipers occupied the buildings, officers in swat gear surrounded the exits. Sitting in the surveillance van, the spearhead of Ray Narvaez's case was checking his phone. His tattooed fingers tapped rapidly against the keyboard, a smile stretching across his mustached face as his phone let out the familiar static hiss of a ringtone.

* * *

Gavin and Michael kept their bodies close to the wall as possible as they crawled their way through the hall in the other building. Michael kept checking his phone after every few steps, the thought of his classmates at the front of his mind right now. God, how it must have sucked. They had no idea what they were being dragged into.

Gavin's eyes were narrowed to slits as he observed his own phone. Something was wrong. It had been too long since his diary had re-written itself. Ray was plotting something. He had to be.

They'd finally reached the corner where all the students were being held captive in the classrooms. Michael carefully poked his head out and saw Kerry standing out in the middle of the hallway.

Kerry had managed to survive. Michael let out an audible sigh of relief before stepping out to meet him.

“Kerry! Hey!”

Gavin whipped his head around and watched as Michael disappeared behind the corner. The alarms immediately started going off in his head, and he trailed after him.

“ _Hang on, this isn't right,_ ” He thought to himself, turning the corner to see 4 other students out in the hall, “ _Why are they out of their classrooms?_ ”

He watched as Kerry turned around to face Michael who was fast approaching. The student's face was white as a sheet, his eyes wide and manic. The other students around him had the same look, and they were charging right for him, their arms out like they were ready to attack.

Right then, his phone let out the ringtone of a future change. Gavin's eyes flitted down to the screen, panic immediately spiking in his stomach as the screen glitched and the future rewrote itself yet again.

 _'Oh no,'_ He thought, his eyes going over to Michael as Kerry and another student he recognized as Blaine grabbed hold of him.

' _No, no please,'_

They grabbed his arms and used all their weight to bring him to the ground, pinning him face-down hard against the floor.

_'No, no, no, NO!!'_

“MICHAEL!!” He screamed out, flailing against the second pair of students who wrung him up by the arms. Michael struggled violently against Kerry and Blaine's hold. He knew it was proving useless. Blaine was in his PE class, and he'd seen him dead-lift almost twice his weight before. Still, that didn't stop him from flailing around and swearing his head off, demanding an explanation as to why they were doing this to him.

Little did he know of the phone call one of the teachers had received earlier on the faculty telephone.

“Here's the deal, I'm after the ginger, Michael Jones,” Ray announced, an amused grin on his face, “Pull a High-School Musical type thing and band together. Bring him to me, and no one else needs to die today. I'll disarm the bombs so you can deliver him safely. Make sure his cell phone is out of reach.”

He pulled the phone away to hang up before putting it back to his ear.

“Oh, and watch out for his uppity Russian boyfriend or whatever,” He warned, “Get Michael down here and we're even steven. Peace!”

 Good on their word, two students came out onto the quad dragging Michael down with them. A third one came out with Michael's phone in their hands, rushing over to the chunk of C4 in the center. They carefully placed the phone down beside it before retreating back inside, refusing to look at Michael or the others. Kerry and Blaine tossed Michael to the dirt and were about to pin him down again, but not before he scrambled to his knees and managed to clock Kerry in the face. Ray let out a noise from afar, going “Oh SHIT!” before doubling over in a fit of laughter. Blaine took hold of both Michael's arms and knee'd him in the back, causing the guy to fall over face down in the dirt.

Gavin watched from above in a classroom full of surviving students. Two of them still had his arms in a tight grip, forcing him to watch as they brought Michael to the enemy like a lamb to the slaughter. He heard Michael yell out for everyone to help him, but no one responded. No one made a move. They all just stood there, some watching out the window, others looking away in shame and horror.

“I'd stay right there if I were you, buddy, ” Ray sung through the megaphone, casually checking his phone with his other hand, “There's a minefield between us, which is active right about... _now._ ”

The man in the purple hoodie smiled brightly and turned to face the students in the remaining building. “Much obliged, people! Motion sensors are back online too by the way, so get comfy!!”

Gavin turned his head to look back at all the other students. These were the people he told Michael were his friends. He said he could trust them. It was his idea to reach out to them...these people...these cowards...

These _monsters._

Gavin could feel his muscles tensing as the anger inside him rose. They made a liar out of him.

They betrayed Michael, without so much as a second thought!

They couldn't care less if Michael lived or died...

He stared at each and every one of their faces with tears welling in his eyes. Such cowardly, ugly faces as they tried to hide their heads and ignore the shameful, sickening act they just did.

He looked back at the quad, watching as blood dribbled down Michael's mouth. That only made Gavin struggle more. He felt the grip on his arms grow tighter. He could feel their fear as they both shook, tears streaming down their faces, looking as if they had no choice.

Gavin knew better than that. They did have a choice, and they chose wrong. They all chose wrong.

These people. They were so selfish. So stupid. So spineless.

He looked back down at Michael, watching as he fought for his life, mouthing something to Ray that he couldn't hear from this distance.

Tears began spilling out of his eyes. His head fell, his voice in a choking sob as he muttered. “I can't...”

The student to his left looked down at him, his grip loosening. “Gavin?”

Gavin didn't answer. He just sniffled. The other student on his right loosened his grip as well, gently placing a hand on Gavin's shoulder before taking it off. “Gav...We're sorry...w-we...”

“...can't...” Gavin choked, the other students looking at him now, leaning in close, asking him what he wanted to say. He didn't answer off the bat. Instead, he thought of Michael, of how scared he must be, how soft his lips were when they kissed, how sincere he was when he said that he needed him...

And that thought alone made his fists clench and his nose wrinkle.

“I can't let this happen,” He muttered through gritted teeth. He lifted his head up to reveal his eyes, looking manic and completely unhinged, “Whatever the cost.”

  
Ray immediately jumped and looked up at the sudden string of explosions that went off across the building. Running through the halls, past the explosions and the screams of horror, Gavin pushed through the smoke and spatters of blood and limbs that came flying up. He looked completely feral, eyes wide and teeth practically flaring as he charged straight for the quad.

“THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL GET FOR SELLING OUT MY MICHAEL!” He screamed, hatred pushing him through as the bombs continued to blow through the classrooms, “ANYONE WHO TREATS MY MAN LIKE A BARGAINING CHIP CAN GET BLOWN TO HELL!!”

Students left and right screamed in agony as explosions went up and engulfed them. Gavin just kept on running, screaming with them in pure anger as he made a beeline for the quad.

Meanwhile, Ray watched from the schoolyard as the windows were being blown out one by one. The path that the loose canon inside was taking was clear, and that made Ray's jaw drop.

“Holy fucking shit, dude,”

“G-Gavin,” Michael mouthed from the dirt, managing to lift his head slightly, “Gavin, stop! You're going to kill everyone, STOP!”

“It doesn't matter!” Ray barked out, earning Michael's attention, “In 10 minutes this place is gonna be lit the fuck up! Like the 4th of July on steroids!”

10 minutes. In 10 minutes, it was gonna be 2:04. His dead end...

Ray smiled widely and held out his arms, “You haven't even _seen_ what I can do with plastique—”

His sentence was suddenly cut short as a bullet whizzed past his ear. The shot cracked in the air, causing Kerry and Blaine to jump and let go of Michael as they covered their heads.

“You mind taking it down a notch, Ray?” A male voice mused from behind Michael, “Gettin' a little _too_ hype over there. I can almost make out your boner in those jeans.”

Michael slowly lifted his head and struggled to his knees as the shooter walked up to stand beside him. As the redhead wiped his eyes and bloodied mouth, a rag was suddenly held in front of his face. He looked up to see the holder. The first thing he noticed (besides the sleeves of tattoos) was the most impressive gentleman's mustache that covered his upper lip. He had a mess of short, dark choppy hair on his head and bags under his eyes. They paired well with the pre-existing dark circles around them. It made him look like a well-balanced mix of dazed, bored, and sleepy.

Ray let his arms fall to his sides as he looked over to the shooter.

“You _would_ be looking at my dick, Geoff,” He said with a smug grin, watching as Geoff turned his head to look down at Michael with a light smile.

“How's it goin', First?”

An odd sense of Deja vu suddenly came over Michael as he took the rag and carefully cleaned his mouth with it. His eyes narrowed briefly at the guy, trying to pinpoint where he'd seen him before.

Geoff didn't seem offended by it. He just smiled wider. “Don't sweat it. It's fine if you don't remember me.”

Now that Michael thought about it, his voice did sound kind of familiar. As did the sight of his mustache. It kind of matched the silhouette of the man standing atop 4th's pedestal.

Mercurius.

“Okay, quit dicking around, Fourth!” Ray called.

“You quit dickin' around!” Geoff retorted, raising his handgun and pointing it at Ray's chest, “We both know what you're here for.”

Ray quirked an impish smile. This seemed to amuse him.

Michael turned to look up at Geoff, two-and-two starting to finally click. “Wait, you two know each other?”

“Long story,” Geoff answered, “All you need to know right now is that the wily bastard isn't here for you.”

He reached into his front pocket with his free hand and pulled out his phone, revealing the mark of Mecurius on the back, and a list of diary entries on the front.

“Say hi to the Case Diary, aka, why Ray's here,” He introduced, “It lets me know how the jobs I'm on will pan out.”

He put his phone back into his pocket and held his gun forward, his tattooed finger hovering over the trigger.

“Yeah, okay _WOW_   what a cool story!” Ray quipped through the megaphone, “Now back to me! If you'd be so kind as to pay attention, I'd like to lay out some demands.”

The quad grew dead silent. The hostage onlookers stood frozen in fear. Geoff stood firm, not saying a word as the young terrorist smiled in satisfaction.

“Alright, I'll take that as the go-ahead,” He remarked, his smile stretching wider as he pointed over to Michael, “First one! Blow the little bastard's brains out. Then do yourself!”

“What?!” Michael let out, his voice cracking in the process.

Geoff held his gun out firmly, his eyes narrowing, “No dice, Ninth!”

“Fine!” Ray barked, holding the detonator up high with his thumb over the button, “Then see you all in hell!”

Geoff felt a cold sweat starting to run down his forehead as the surviving hostages screamed and begged for their lives. He tried to think of something, anything that could help him get out of this without someone getting killed. There was no way. His diary had told him so. Shoot Ray, and the whole building would blow up once his heart stopped. Don't shoot Ray, and in 10 minutes the whole building would blow up. The frustrating feel of being backed between a rock and a hard place was starting to weigh down on him. 

He swallowed hard, his eyes shifting to the right. He looked down at Michael who looked up at him in shock—that shock quickly turning to confusion and fear as the barrel of Geoff's gun was pointed dead center at his forehead.

“Sorry,” He said honestly, “Guy's got me backed into a corner.”

Michael couldn't believe it. “Y—You...You fucking serious right now?!” He yelped, “You're a cop!”

“And he's a terrorist whose made himself into the ultimate detonator if I don't do what he says,” Geoff reasoned, his voice eerily calm and authoritative, “Happens all the time. I kill one, I save many.”

Michael was at a loss for words. He couldn't find them, they had gotten stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say everything he wanted to say. He wanted to yell. He wanted to cry. He wanted to beg for his life. He wanted to tell so many people he was sorry. He wanted to tell Gavin he was sorry. That poor guy. Risking everything to help him today, only to have it all done in vain in only a couple of seconds.

He watched as Geoff's finger curled around the trigger. He screwed his eyes shut, hoping this wouldn't hurt.

But just then, the sound of glass breaking caused him to open his eyes.

Gavin came barreling through with a metal pipe in his hand. His spindly body went flying towards Ray, his arms coming down and smacking the guy in the back. Ray stumbled forward with a cry, turning around with anger burning in his eyes as Gavin hit the ground. He reared his leg back and kicked Gavin violently in the side, causing the brit to double over in the dirt.

Geoff lowered his gun, watching as the two scrambled to their feet and started going at each other like a pair of rabid dogs. Michael watched in shock as Gavin went at Ray with a ferocity he'd only ever seen in his aunt's pit bull back in Jersey. They were going to claw each other apart.

“Hey!” Geoff barked, snapping Michael out of his thoughts. He pulled the redhead up off the dirt and pushed him forward, “Go get your damn diary! Come on!! And go help your friend out!!”

The guy didn't need to be told twice. He staggered forward before breaking out into a dead sprint towards his phone. The game was still on. It wasn't over yet. He had to do whatever he could to save Gavin and the others.

Ray finally managed to get a good punch in before shoving Gavin away from him. He fell to his knees and kept his hands planted to the dirt, trying to keep himself up as he caught his breath. He turned to watch as Michael sprinted forward, his face eerily determined as he headed straight for his diary perched up next to a mine.

Ray was in awe. “Dude's out of his fucking mind,” He breathed, “There's a minefield!”

“Michael! Left!” Gavin called out.

Ray watched as Michael jumped to the left and continued to sprint forward. He swallowed hard.

“Ah fuck, I don't like where this is going,” He said to himself.

“Veer to the right!” Gavin called again. Michael jumped to the right, and went straight for his phone. Ray turned to look over at Gavin in disbelief.

“Seriously?!” He asked out, his eyes looking down at the phone in Gavin's hand, “Oh, fuck me, he's a diary user!”

He quickly scrambled to his feet and went charging towards Gavin as the guy continued to shout directions. The future in his phone kept changing rapidly, the brit being too distracted by it to notice the guy coming right for him. Before Ray could reach his target another bullet cracked in the air and nearly hit him a second time. The guy grunted in frustration, looking bitterly over at Geoff who still had his gun out.

“Asshole!” He barked before making another break towards Gavin.

“Now left! Then another left after that!” Gavin shouted before being kicked in the arm.

“Shut UP!” Ray grunted, reaching forward to grab Gavin by the hair and yank him back. Geoff aimed his gun in Ray's direction, pulling the trigger once more, and nothing coming out. The gun went _click click click_ with every pull of the trigger, the cop's eyes narrowing as Ray shoved Gavin out of the way and started getting out his own phone.

“Fine! I'll blow him away manually—AGH! SHIT!” Something hard suddenly smacked into the back of his head, causing him to let out a noise in pain. When he turned around to look at it, he was surprised to find it was a textbook.

“What the,” He gripped the back of his head and looked up, his eyes growing wide at what he saw.

Raining down from the sky was books, backpacks, staplers, anything the surviving students and faculty could throw out the open windows. They were all cheering out Michael's name loudly as he continued to push through the minefield, stumbling forward as an explosion went off behind him. He grit his teeth and continued to sprint forward, pulling a pencil from his back pocket and gripping it firmly like a combat knife.

Ray watched in horror as he got in close. He wasn't losing speed any time soon, and the pencil looked like it was sharp.

‘Shit!' He panicked, holding his phone tight as his arms went up in defense.

“Ninth!” Michael screamed out, thrusting the pencil forward towards the screen of his phone.

‘Oh shit!’ He thought, his heart racing a mile a minute as he tried bringing his phone down, “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!!!'

He watched as the lead point missed the phone and started nearing a spot on his lower eyesocket,

“SHIT!!!”

He screamed out bloody murder as Michael thrust forward and lodged the pencil just under his eye. Blood began spurting as he cried out in pure pain, his glasses pushing up as he covered his gushing wound. His knees instantly gave out and he toppled over, blood dripping trough the cracks of his fingers and spilling onto the dirt. Gavin scrambled forward and pulled away the detonator he used for the explosives. Geoff stepped forward, his gun, now reloaded, pointed at the terrorist's skull.

“Give it up Ray,” He warned, “Only a fucking idiot would resist in your condition.”

Ray lifted his head and screamed angrily at him, shooting up straight as he hit a button on his phone.

“FUCK OFF!” He shouted, a ring of small explosions suddenly going off around him. The others around him screwed their eyes shut, coughing manically as they were engulfed in smoke. Geoff looked around frantically, jumping at the sound of a roaring engine whizzing right behind him.

He turned around to see Ray jumping right past him on a speeding motorbike, blood dribbling down one side of his face.

“My diary's got a name, too!” He shouted, “It's called the Escape Diary! _Adios,_ bitchachos!”

And with one final rewrite on Michael's phone, the terrorist was gone, disappearing in the haze of smoke.

 **5/02 2:04 [Schoolyard]  
****The Ninth attacks me and I die in an explosion.  
** – **\- D E A D  E N D  A V O I D E D --**

* * *

The sky had turned a pretty orange as the set sun over the devastated buildings of the school. Geoff stood firmly in one of the remaining classrooms, looking out at the slew of FBI and patrol officers now out on the hunt for Ray. He took in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. This wasn't going to be easy...

“Ninth and the others will be falling all over themselves to get at you, Michael.” He turned around, staring back at the two of them all dirt-faced and bloody. Gavin looked slightly wary, while the trauma was written all over Michael's face. His grip on the bloody pencil in his hand hadn't let up since Ray's escape only an hour ago.

“When they pounce, I'll be there to put a stop to this shit,” He assured, “The three of us need to team up to make sure that happens.”

He held a hand out in solidarity, his lopsided smile sincere. “You game?”

It didn't even take a second before Michael stepped forward and nodded wholeheartedly. There was no way he was gonna pass up having a cop on their side.

“Fuck yeah,” He remarked, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. He turned his head to look back at Gavin. “You're in too, right?”

The brit suddenly looked up from his phone, his expression extremely sheepish as he nodded with a tiny smile.

“Right,” He peeped.

As Michael and Geoff continued to talk, Gavin looked back down at his phone, a warm blush creeping up on his cheeks.  
  
**7/28 9:10  
****Michael and Gavin come together.**

**H A P P Y  E N D**


	4. IUUPITER || BROKEN ON ARRIVAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff asks Michael and Gavin to act as bait to lure out Ray. For Gavin it means going on a fun date in an amusement park. For Michael, it means a chance at getting some answers as to why Gavin's been stalking him. Meanwhile, an injured Ray is taken in by a "helpful" stranger to avoid the cops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh oh oh, thank you guys for the kudos!! and the feedback! <3

He had no idea how he ended up here.

The theme park was full of people today. Sure it was sunny, and hot out, but the fact he was here when he could have been home thinking up a battle plan...

Well, at least the lines for the rides weren't too crazy—so that was a plus, he figured.

Geoff's plan to get to Ray involved a day out in public in a populated area. Officers were placed everywhere around the park undercover, keeping a close eye on the boys as they went around the theme park and enjoyed themselves.

At least while Gavin enjoyed himself.

After braving another roller coaster ride, Gavin ran off to go get something real quick. Michael waited patiently under a table canopy, keeping cool in the shade while he watched the large Pirate Ship ride swing back and forth up ahead. It was so weird, being out a theme park when he'd usually be stuck in PE right about now...

But since Ray blew the school to shit, now he was here, enjoying a day out with his stalker.

And as if right on cue, Gavin came running towards him with a large grin spread across his face, and two soft serve ice cream cones in his hands. “Michael look! I got you a cornet!”

Michael looked up at him, raising a brow as the man held the cone out to him eagerly. “Gav, can we just do something else not so-”

“Better hurry, s'gonna melt!” The brunette sung, the smile never leaving his face, “I got it just for you!”

“Gavin,” Michael could tell this was a one sided battle he wasn't going to win. He let out a small sigh and carefully took the cone. “Thanks, boi.”

Gavin smiled brightly and took a seat down next to him, gently tapping his cone with Michael's. “Cheers,” He chirped before digging in. Michael carefully licked the cone and continued to watch as people swarmed in and out of the rides, screaming joyously as they were tossed around on roller coasters and spinning cups.

  
“We should go on that one next,” Gavin pointed over to the roller coaster with the sharp dips. Michael reluctantly agreed, knowing full well what was going to happen as soon as he got off that ride.

And sure enough, it did. Gavin patted his back gently, apologizing over and over as Michael sat down in dizzy heap after the ride. Once he bounced back, Gavin took him by the hand and lead him over to a water ride that was way smoother. Then, it was over to a carousel where they rode on horses side by side one another. It was clear to Michael that Gavin was having the time of his life. He was completely unphased by the aftermath of the school bombing and almost getting killed. It amazed the readhead, quite honestly—how he could flash the brightest smile and laugh as if this were an average outing. Maybe that's just how he coped—ignoring the bad, and flashing that endearing little grin of his.

Thinking about it only made him want to know Gavin more. He needed to pick him apart a little, figure how he worked, why he was so enamored with someone he barely knew. His survival in the game depended on it. But how was he to approach his own stalker and ask him all this? On top of that, Gavin's behavior was admittedly a little distracting. His laugh was kinda gawky and infectious. And the way he asked Michael to explain how little things in America worked was _kind of_ cute...

But he needed to focus now. He needed to wrestle some sense out of Gavin, and find out _why_.

“Sorry it took so long,” Gavin chirped as he came running back with a tray of food. Michael was waiting patiently at the picnic table, casually scrolling through his phone before looking up at him.

“It's alright,” He said, watching as Gavin set the tray down in the center of the table. He'd gotten a melon soda and an order of fries with cheese to split. Michael looked at the meal for a second, a burning question about Gavin's behavior still lingering in the back of his mind.

Finally, he decided to just out with it. “Gav, what's the deal with—”

“Notice the straws, Michael?” Gavin flashed a smile, pointing down at the drink. Michael looked at what he was talking about. Two straws, expertly placed across from one another. Oh no.

“Drink up,” Gavin chirped. He leaned in and put his mouth on the straw closest to him, his eyes watching Michael expectantly as he just sat there in disbelief. The brunette just waited there, letting out a little noise in his throat as a signal for the redhead to join him. Michael swallowed hard and tried to push past the crippling embarrassment. He leaned in slowly before putting his mouth on the straw, taking a small sip and nothing coming out. He sucked on the straw harder. Still nothing. He frowned a little, looking directly at Gavin as he smiled and chuckled in his throat. Michael kept the straw pinched between his fingers as he lifted it out, noticing that the two straws were actually jammed together at the ends.

“Gavin!”

The brunette let out a laugh that fell into a pitched squeal as Michael's cheeks started turning red.

   
“Let's go there, boi!” Gavin chirped, running as fast as his spindly legs could carry him towards another ride. Michael let out a heavy sigh as he continued to follow Gavin around the park. He wished the guy would slow down a bit. He wanted to know why Gavin was so fixated him, but he looked so happy, the way he was enjoying himself. Seeing him like this was so distracting, Michael barely even noticed as he let himself be pulled around everywhere. He even let Gavin talk him into going through a horror house, which in retrospect was probably a bad decision. But the way Gavin latched onto his arm tightly, whimpering how scared he was as he shut his eyes and buried his face into Michael's shoulder...

It actually made Michael's heart skip a beat.

After braving the horror house and breezing through the park’s water rides, Michael was starting to grow tired. They had spent the whole day here. Now, he just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. The sun was starting to set on their way out of the park when Gavin noticed a planetarium. He pointed over to it in excitement. “Ooh Michael! We should go in ther—”

“No thanks,” he mumbled plainly, walking ahead with his hands shoved in his pockets. Gavin moved to reach out to him before stopping, looking a little crestfallen as Michael continued on ahead without him.

   
“This is okay, right?” Gavin asked, looking out at the city as they sat together in the Ferris Wheel, “I mean look at the view, Michael. It's top!”

Michael barely glanced at it before looking straight ahead at Gavin. He continued to stare out the window, pointing to little areas here and there, telling him how small they looked from this height. He paid no mind to the silence that swelled between them as they continued to up the wheel. Or to the serious look Michael was giving him as he spoke up,

“Gavin,” He called, earning the brunette's attention, “Be honest...Why do you keep following me around all the time?”

' _Following_ ' was putting it lightly. Gavin paused for a moment and stared at him blankly. He didn't look offended, or even shocked. In fact, he looked sort of curious.

“How come...How come you didn't wanna go to the planetarium earlier?”

Michael's eyebrows knitted slightly, unsure of where he was going with this.

“I thought you were mad for stars and stuff," He added, "Ever since you were little...”

Michael was taken back a little, and his face showed it. There was no way Gavin could have known that. _How_ could he have known that?!

“How did you...” His eyes went wide before his head fell back with a sigh, “Fucking _christ_ your diary's gonna drive me nuts—”

“No ya bell-end!” Gavin chirped, his face endearingly serious as he stood straight up, “I know because you told me last year! Don't you remember?”

A year ago? How on earth was Michael supposed to remember what happened a year ago? Everything was pretty much the same as it was now. A year ago he was a gawky college sophomore who didn't talk to anyone. A year ago, he sat in the back row of the lecture halls—always kept his head down, and always kept to himself. There was one instance when he only barely opened up and said actually something to someone, but it was only a dumb coincidence and it barely mattered.

But apparently, it mattered to Gavin a lot.

The two of them had stayed after class for some last minute makeup work. The teacher had wanted them to fill out a single survey about what they wanted to do and who they wanted to be after graduation. It was so painfully cheesy. Gavin had been staring at his paper for ages before looking over at Michael a couple aisles away.

Michael was busy scribbling down his answer. He didn't even notice Gavin get up and walk over to him. It wasn't until a shadow cast down over his paper that he finally looked up, not saying a single word. He just stared at the guy—all dressed in a lumpy grey cardigan with hair that was purposefully mussed and stuck out in all different directions.

“All right?” He greeted with faint smile. Michael didn't say anything. The guy didn't seem to mind it at all.

“Had trouble with the paper too,” He remarked, casually pointing down at Michael's paper, “I haven't a damn clue about what I want to do after uni.”

Michael looked down at his own paper, mumbling a faint, “Yeah...” before going silent again. Gavin shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed for a moment, a little laugh escaping his lips as he suddenly thought of something funny.

“You think teacher'll pull me outta class early tomorrow, if I say I wanna start up a porn ring around the school?”

 Michael suddenly cracked a smile as he sputtered out a snicker. That snicker quickly fell into a laugh, and that made Gavin smile more. As soon as it died down, he took a seat next to him and casually looked over at his paper.

 _'I want to go to the Dreyfuss in Jersey again with my family_.'

“Jersey,” Gavin quoted, furrowing in thought for a second, “Where's that?”

Michael looked at him like he was an idiot.

“New Jersey? It's on the east coast,” Gavin blinked at him, shrugging. “Next to Pennsylvania? Right—oh christ—It's under New York?”

Gavin perked up. “I know New York!”

“Oh my god,” Michael said with a laugh, shaking his head as Gavin pouted at him lightly.

“What?! It's not my fault you got so many places on the map—” He shut his mouth, immediately seeing the look of disbelief on Michael's face before the two of them let out another rolling laugh.

“Yeah, _so_ many places on the map, what an inconvenience,” Michael quipped, “Sorry about that."

“S'not funny,” Gavin whimpered, trying hard to hide a smile and failing, “I flub my words sometimes.”

Michael continued to giggle in his throat, the smile never really leaving his face as he shook his head.

“So what's the Dreyfuss, then?” Gavin asked, looking back down at Michael's paper.

“A planetarium inside the state museum,” He answered, looking down at what he wrote. “I used to go there a lot for field trips and shit as a kid. But the really fun stuff happened when I went with my parents...”

The smile slowly fell off of the redhead's face and Gavin watched it disappear. The second it was gone, the brunette found himself missing it. Michael's face only grew softer and sadder as he turned over his pencil and started erasing his writing.

“I dunno why I wrote that,” He mumbled, “It's kinda stupid.”

“It's not stupid,” Gavin remarked.

“They're divorced now, it's a little stupid.”

“S'not stupid, Michael.”

Michael stopped writing for a second and looked over at him. The brit smiled gently and picked up his own pencil, scooting a little closer before taking the paper and adding on to it.

“I’d love to go to New Jersey. I’d never even been before.” He started to jot down something Michael couldn't make out right away, “There's an observatory nearby, you know. If you ever wanted to see the stars, you could go there with me sometime.”

Michael watched as the guy next to him scribbled away, looking focused with his nose almost pressed to the paper as he wrote.

“It uh...wouldn't be the same without my family,” He remarked honestly.

“Right, well, it's simple then,” Gavin chirped, putting the last dot on his sentence before showing it to him, “You and I could be a family if we got married.”

Michael looked down at what he wrote and scoffed. The words didn't mean anything to him. Two guys couldn't get married. That's why he played along. He thought Gavin was kidding...

“Yeah, alright,” He mused as he got up from his seat with an airy laugh. “Let's pull a Brangelina type-thing. Wait until everyone's able to get married...”

A faint blush appeared on Gavin's cheeks as he nodded and smiled.

 It was kind of ironic that a year later, same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states. And it was ironic that Michael was here now, sitting in front of the man he promised to marry when same sex couples were allowed to. But he was kidding about that! Gavin _had to_ have known that he was kidding about it. There was just no way that was the reason!

“You can't be serious,” Michael spoke, “That's your answer why? That was just some random momen—”

He stopped and froze up as Gavin stepped forward and rested his hands on the guy's shoulders. He didn't say a word. He just looked down into Michael's light brown eyes, a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“L-Look, Gav,” He reasoned slowly, still looking into Gavin's forest greens as he tried to get his point out, “I-I mean you're nice and all, but...I mean—I'm getting the feeling you're still hiding something...”

Gavin still didn't answer. He just looked down at Michael, slowly leaning forward before shutting his eyes and placing a gentle kiss on his lover's forehead. Michael sat there frozen, his heart skipping and fire creeping up on his cheeks, forming a rosy blush well-hidden by the sunset's light that surrounded them. He swallowed hard and looked up as Gavin briefly pulled away, still smiling that endearing little smile. 

“Of course I am.” He replied simply.

* * *

The way home was quiet as the two boys got off at their stop and exited the station. Michael was stewing over what Gavin had told him the entire time. He was hiding something. Was it a good something? Or a bad something? The way he answered was so casual, perhaps his secret wasn't so menacing. Then again, Gavin _was_ a bit of a hard read. His secret could be worse than he was letting on...

He looked up at the sky as the sound of thunder rolled across and dark grey clouds started to come in. Gavin took his hand and the two of them booked it down the street, trying their hardest to beat the rain as it started to come down.

The two of them stopped into a convenience store and came out with an umbrella to share. The two of them walked side by side down the street, Police cars lining the roads, with men stopping traffic to monitor each vehicle as it passed by. The search for Ray was still on, sirens and policemen going off all at once, alerting others in the street that a criminal was still on the loose, and it was imperative that they head back to their homes. 

Gavin led the way to his house, which wasn't too far of a walk from the train station. He lived in a nice enough spot. Relatively big houses, clearly built within the first couple of years. They all had nice lawns, and even nicer cars in the paved driveways. Michael looked up as they stopped in front of an iron gate that led to a decent sized home up ahead. The redhead was actually pretty surprised. Whoever he was staying with was loaded.

However, the lights weren't on at all. No one was home.

' _It should be okay...I think,_ ' Michael thought to himself. He was home alone himself, after all. Gavin could handle being by himself, surely. He was in a nice neighborhood too. It'd be fine.

“Well, see ya Gav,” He gave him a small wave and turned around to leave before Gavin spoke out.

“W-wait,” He peeped, swallowing hard as a tiny, shy smile appeared, “You could, er...come inside?”

A blush crept up on Gavin's face and he averted Michael's stare. If he had looked up, he would've seen Michael's cheeks twinge pink as he nodded.

“Sure...”

* * *

He had no idea how he ended up here.

One minute he was in control, and the next minute he's running for his life with a busted up eye.

Sounded like growing up in New York all over again. Only this time he wasn't running from fucked up junkies and gangs.

This time he was running in the rain, hiding all over town from the cops as they occupied every sidewalk and blocked every roadway. His phone wasn't being of much use at the moment. Despite being an Escape Diary, he only barely managed to wriggle out of their little traps and blockades. After taking refuge behind some boulders propped up just outside the highway, he looked out to see another police blockade in the middle of the street. He looked down at his phone for any updates on how to get out. When he found none, he let out a grunt of frustration.

“Piece of shit phone,” He mumbled, “You're supposed to be an escape diary. The hell's wrong with you?!”

A sharp pain suddenly ran through the left side of his face. He let out a hiss and pushed up his glasses, cradling left eye area. The bleeding had long since stopped, but now half his vision was left all blurred and fucked up. Just great. He was part blind, his phone wasn't telling him anything, and if he tried to move on the cop down below, Geoff's little snitch-diary would just give him the scoop and come after him with full force. He was stuck.

“Fuck a duck,” He muttered bitterly, trying hard to think of a way out of this.

The sound of wet footsteps and rustling leaves caused him to turn around sharply, his guard up and alert as the sound grew louder and louder. Someone was coming. Their walk was steady, focused. His eyes narrowed, trying to peer through the dark as best as he could as the stranger drew closer. As they neared the boulders, Ray made out a tallish figure standing under a large black umbrella. The shadow of it helped cover his face, but the rest of him revealed that he was just some random in jeans and a hoodie.

“Try not to make any noise,” The stranger said calmly as he walked up. “Are you able to move?”

Ray didn't answer. He just gripped his phone tighter, waiting for it to tell him what to do. Still nothing. He looked down at it bitterly before looking back up at the stranger, his one good eye going wide as he was pulled up off the dirt.

“Hey! Don't even fucking try—“

The stranger just shushed him, his voice still calm, almost friendly even.

“Everything's okay,” He interjected, “I'm here to help you.”

Ray scoffed. “Yeah sure you are. Who sent y—”

“Please,” The stranger scoffed again, “I'd look at my options if I were you.”

Ray eyed the man bitterly before looking down at his phone. It was true, what choice did he have? The piece of shit that was supposed to help him wasn't being any help at all. He took a deep breath, and gripped onto the stranger's sleeve tightly, following him into the dark as he was led out of the rain. 

* * *

 

Michael slipped off his wet hoodie and sat down at the lavish table in the dark living room. He shifted a little in his seat, looking around at everything as best as he could. The place looked normal enough, but there were still no lights on...

Gavin came back in with a burning candle in his hand, a gentle smile on his dimly lit face. “Yeah, sorry about the lights. We're kinda off the grid at the moment.”

Michael cracked a small smile. “It's alright.” It wasn't _that strange,_ he thought to himself. Even rich people can have electrical problems. When Gavin stepped further in, the light from the candle revealed the room a little better. Michael turned to face forward in his seat, a glass bowl full bright red apples in front of him.

“These were actually grown in my host family's backyard,” He chirped, picking one up from the bowl, “I'll go peel it for you.”

“Oh...thanks,” Michael watched as Gavin left with the only light source and headed for the kitchen. The second he disappeared, he got out his phone and turned up the brightness on his screen. He got up and started looking around, stopping on a photo of a well-to-do looking couple, perched on a shelf inside the china cabinet. Michael leaned in to stare at it. They looked happy with each other, intimately posing outside the Eiffel tower in Paris. There was another photo beside it of a pretty girl with her two parents outside Oxford University. She looked happy too.

He continued to look around some more, piecing together little clues here and there about Gavin's host family and what they were like. He didn't really know how to feel about it all, to be honest. They seemed pretty well off, but there was no power. And the parents themselves, they just left him, a foreign exchange student here alone. At least his own mom had the decency to try and keep him comfortable while he was home alone. These people just up and left him to his own vices.

The sudden urge to pee crept up on him as he continued to stew over the bits and pieces he learned about the host family. He held up his phone and stepped out of the dining room, reading the future texts carefully as it lead him towards the bathroom.

* * *

Ray woke up with a start as a shooting pain ran over the whole left side of his face. He let out a swear as he cupped it, trying his hardest to blink back the tears that only made it sting worse.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he grit, screwing his eyes shut tight. This was bad. He needed to do something about his eye. He needed a doctor.

He sat up in the stranger's bed, gripping the blankets tight with one hand as he tried to push past the pain. Calm. He needed to stay calm. He was alive. Partially blind, and hurting like hell, but alive...

The sound of rattling caused him to look to his right. The stranger stood next to him holding out a glass of water in one hand, and a bottle of Ambien in the other.

“Here. I'd take two, in your case.”

Ray looked up at the face of a paper grocery bag with the eye holes cut out. If he wasn't in pain right now, he would have laughed.

“Nice look,” He managed to get out, “You gonna diddle me while I'm all drugged up and vulnerable?”

The stranger didn't answer. He just smirked under the bag, and watched as Ray took the pills and downed the water before handing the glass back.

“Helping me isn't gonna do your karma any good,” He remarked.

The stranger scoffed. “I'm actually an instrument of karma, as it happens.”

“You're a fucking wierdo, is what you are,” Ray stated, “And quite possibly a diddler, given the bag over your face...and your large hands.”

He reached under the blanket and pulled out his phone from his pocket, staring at the screen with one eye open. Still no updates. Still not a sound from his phone.

' _Why hasn't anything changed?_ ' He thought to himself, ' _Am I safe here or what? Talk to me..._ '

He listened as the stranger stepped away and took a seat across the room, casually getting out his own phone and scrolling through it without a word.

* * *

All he wanted to do was find the bathroom. He was getting all sorts of turned around in this place. First taking a left, then a right, and still no sign of a toilet. Just a bunch of closed doors and empty hallways.

“God, you'd think a place like this would be crawling with toilets,” He mumbled, scrolling through his phone for an answer. His thumb swiped rapidly up and down the screen, his eyes scanning through the future texts as he tried to find his way through the dark.  
  
**5/04 6:00 pm [Gavin's House, living room]  
****Gavin leaves to peel the apple.**

 **5/04 6:05 pm [Gavin's House, hall]  
** **There's strange room off the right hallway.**

 **5/04 6:07 pm [Gavin's House, hall]  
** **The bathroom was at the end of the hallway.**

He used the flashlight on his phone to illuminate his path as he made his way through the hall. All along the way he saw pictures of the host family and everywhere they'd been on the walls. He even saw pictures of the pretty girl from every age, up until he passed by the door he'd previously mentioned in his diary. He only looked at it for a second as he walked past before stopping. He frowned a little, taking a step back and holding up his flashlight to take a better look. It could have been the entrance to some fancy modern office, or maybe even a bedroom. The sliding doors were tall and sleek, and they looked pretty expensive.

So why the hell were they covered?

The doors were badly taped together in all different directions with some shipping tape, like it was a poor attempt at keeping it sealed shut.

“The fuck?” He muttered, looking back down at his phone.

Meanwhile, Gavin was by himself in the kitchen, carefully peeling the skin off an apple with a kitchen knife. A warm smile was on his face the entire time, his phone resting loyally by his side on the kitchen sink. He strategically propped it up so the screen would face him as he worked, displaying the Happy End that made his heart swell and race with excitement.

 **7/28 9:10  
** **Michael and Gavin come together.**

**\- - H A P P Y  E N D - -  
**

* * *

Ray tried to get out of bed, his legs suddenly giving out as he stood. He tumbled to the floor with a heavy thud, his body feeling like a lead weight. He let out a swear and lifted his head, glaring at the bagged man with his one good eye.

“...Asshole,” He hissed, “The hell was in those?” He tried his hardest to move off the floor, grunting and hissing in a mix of numbed pain. He felt weak, his muscles like lead and jello all at the same time. 

The stranger kneeled down in front of him, watching as Ray looked down at his phone in a panic.

“Why aren't there any diary entries?!” He let out, gripping his phone as tight as he could, “What the fuck is happening?!”

“I'm going to count down to three,” The stranger spoke, still calm voiced and poised as he lifted a hand, “After which, well, you'll be wide awake... _Ninth._ ”

“Oh shit no,” Ray muttered, his insides twisting in knots, “You're a diary user.”

The stranger started counting from three, watching closely as Ray gripped onto his phone for dear life. He smiled, and with a snap of his fingers, Ray blinked and realized that the answer about his phone was in front of him the entire time. In his hand wasn't his iPhone, but a random chunk of bark from a tree. He blinked through his teary eyes and rolled over onto his back, looking up at a man in a luchador mask covering half his face.

“And _presto_ ,” He chirped, leaning down with a smile on his well managed scruffy face, “Now that you’re up, tell me everything you know about the other Diary Users.”

Ray kept his mouth clamped shut. The rest of his body may have been useless, but he still had control over his voice. 

The other diary user just kept his smile, reaching down with a latex glove-covered hand.

“Let's start with something simple,” He suggested, opening his victim's injured eye, “Such as, predictably enough, the identity of First.” He stared down at the nasty red stab wound at the bottom of Ninth's eye socket. Whatever sharp object managed to get him, it managed to get in there deep and puncture the bottom of the eyeball.

“N-no! Stop! what are you doing?!” Ray let out, still unable to move as a pair of latex fingers slid down his eye and started to dig in around it. The sensation made him squirm and scream as he could feel his eye starting to shift and slide out of the socket. The masked man didn't say a word, just using his thumb and pointer to pop the eye out completely before getting to work.

* * *

 

Michael scrolled through his future entries as he stood outside the door.

 **5/04 5:55 pm [Gavin's House, living room]  
** **The room is totally dark, apparently the power is out.**

 **5/04 6:00 pm [Gavin's House, living room]  
** **Gavin leaves to peel the apple.**

 **5/04 6:05 pm [Gavin's House, hall]  
** **There's strange room off the right hallway.**

 **5/04 6:07 pm [Gavin's House, hall]  
** **The bathroom was at the end of the hallway.**

 **5/04 6:10 pm [Gavin's House, living room]  
** **Gavin returns with the apple. It looks good.**

He stared over at the door and chewed on his lip a little in thought. Nothing in his diary said anything about going through it. That meant if he did, he'd change the future.

He had no idea how big of a change that would be, for everyone.

He peeled off some of the tape and started carefully sliding the door over to the side. Just as he was opening it, a static hiss erupted not only from his phone, but from the 11 remaining diary users' phones as well. As Michael opened the door, a blinding light erupted from each of the other user's screens. As Michael opened the door, Deus's cathedral of causality was starting to crumble and violently shake.

As Michael opened the door, the game was completely changed.

He slid it open just enough to step through the doorway.

He stopped the second a foul smell hit his nostrils. He covered his nose and gagged as he held up his phone—Immediately regretting it when the light flashed on the scratched up walls, over to the marble floors splattered with a dried red substance, and landing on the metal cage in the middle holding two disgusting looking creatures inside. The minute he saw their milky white eyes and mangled jaws he leaped back with a swear and almost dropped his phone as it slipped through his palms. He fumbled around a little before catching it and holding it up again, his muscles shaking as his mind drew a complete blank at what he was seeing.

Those creatures in the cage. They had arms, and hands...

There was another one on the floor, further over by the wall, laying under a sloppy cry for help written in red. They weren't moving. None of them were moving. They didn't make a sound.

The creatures..The smell...And the stuff on the floor...

  
Ose ran through the great hall with cry, covering his head as large chunks stone were starting to fall from the ceiling. The God of Time sat calmly on the throne, hands folded together in thought.

“Boss!” The demon cried out, “I dunno if you've noticed but causality is sorta collapsing in on itself!!”

The creature jumped out of the way and took cover as a large part of the ceiling nearly cracked him in the skull. Deus continued to sit on the throne, remain still and amazingly calm.

“ _The boy's done it, hasn't he?_ ” The entity spoke, “ _He's achieved the unthinkable..._ ”

Ose looked up from under the throne in confusion, watching as the God's nimble fingers tapped at a steady pace.

“ _I've meticulously ordered the causal nexus to ensure that all 12 keepers would converge upon the city,_ ” A smile grew on the God's face. They sounded ecstatic as they stood up from the throne, arms out wide as the cathedral continued to collapse around them, “ _And yet, as if in scorn of my design, something marvelous has intervened! The playing field is transformed! Well done, boy! Very well done! I've seldom been so entertained!_ ”

   
Michael stood there in horror, completely white as a sheet as he stared at the room. Three bodies. Bloodstains. Markings on the floors and the wall. The words 'Help' written in blood...

Gavin walked up from behind, tears welling in his eyes at the open door, and the buzzing static sound coming from his phone.

“...Why'd you do it, Michael?”

The redhead didn't answer. He just stood there frozen, looking into the dark as his phone fell to his side.

Gavin sniffled lightly, wiping away the hot tears that started streaming down his cheeks. “W-We were good, right?...”

Again, Michael didn't answer. He couldn't hear anything, only static. He couldn't see anything. Only darkness.

“We were going to be together,” Gavin whimpered, his Happy End turning to static in his phone, “You...You just couldn't stand not to look...”

Again Michael didn't answer. He didn't even know what was happening. One minute he was staring into a dark room. The next minute he was running in the rain like a bat out of hell, making a straight beeline for his house. He feet splashed through puddles and sloshed through mud as he booked it down the street. He cut through side streets, back roads, front yards, and back yards. He didn't stop running, the thought of what he thought he saw in that room making his legs pump harder than ever before. He kept looking behind him the whole time, even as he was nearing home. He didn't see Gavin or anyone else blatantly running after him. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling like someone was.

And then the image of the creatures in the room flashed across his mind again. He nearly tripped over into the mud as he stumbled into his front yard, clutching his stomach tight as he hunched over and threw up. The second he was finished he staggered into his house and locked the door, falling to his knees as he was finally safe. He didn't bother to look up at the note pinned above him. He knew his mom was out the minute he saw the lights were off.

That only made him think of the bodies again. A cold terror shot up his spine and he put his shaking hands to his face, trying to tell himself over and over that it wasn't real. It wasn't what it seemed. It couldn't have been. He quickly pulled his hands off his face and mentally slapped himself as he got up off the floor. He quickly moved through the house like a bolt of lightning, slipping and sliding on his wet shoes as he moved to lock every window and every door he could find. After locking the kitchen window he went to dig through the drawers to pull out the biggest kitchen knife they had.

Right then, there was a soft knock on the front door.

Michael turned around sharply, his breathing caught in his throat as he stared at the front. He tried to keep silent as best as he could, his heart still pounding in his chest and the rain still pattering on outside.

Another soft knock at the door. This time, Michael moved.

 He gripped the knife tightly in his hands, inching down the hall as he stared at the front door warily. Water kept dripping down the ringlets of his coppery red curls and hitting the floor, causing his already sopping wet sneakers to squeak and skid a little. He kept his breathing light. It was shaking, but light. He just kept his eyes on the door, inching steadily towards the stairs. He'd made it up to the first step when the mail flap on his door suddenly shot open, and pair of green eyes stared right at him through the rain. Michael jumped and had his hand clamped over his mouth, trying not to make a sound as he tried to stay hidden in the dark. Gavin's eyes didn't move around the room, though. They just stared right at the stairwell. Right at him.

“Good night my little Michael,” He whispered sweetly, “See you in your dreams.”


	5. APOLLO || MANUAL INPUT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael opened a door he REALLY shouldn't have at Gavin's place. Still scared beyond belief, he accompanies Geoff and Gavin to the headquarters of a local cult where Ray is being held prisoner. But it appears he's not the only diary keeper there…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayo! So, a little warning for you all, there's uh...a lot of blood and violence in this chapter. And uh, Psychoteeth is uh...strong in this. yeah lol.  
> just a warning! xoxo

It was almost 2 am, and Michael was still wide awake. Even though he'd gotten out of his wet clothes and took a long hot shower, he was still shaking under the covers. Every little noise bothered him, made him jump. It didn't matter if it was the rain, or even the thunder as lightning occasionally went off. He was on high alert, and he couldn't get the image of what he saw out of his head. All that blood on the floor, and the smell...

It was clear Gavin was trying to hide them, but those couldn't have been what he thought they were...were they? If they were, did that mean that he killed them? Why would he do that?

Michael screwed his eyes shut, swallowing hard and shaking even harder as he got out his phone. He needed to remain calm. Remain calm, and call Geoff. He's a cop. He would know what to do. He nodded to himself, taking a deep breath before scrolling through his contacts to find Geoff's name. Just as he got down to the 'G's in his phone, a new text message popped up. His stomach dropped and twisted, his thumb tapping on it to read.

-[34 New Messages]-

 **[034] 5/5 2:03 am  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> Goodnight Michael ❤**

 **[033] 5/5 1:57 am  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> Did you fall asleep?**

 **[032] 5/5 1:50 pm  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> What are you doing tomorrow?**

Michael clicked out of the messages app and went back to dialing Geoff's number. Just before he could hit call, he was interrupted with another text.

 **[035] 5/5 2:04 am  
** **Gavin Free  
** **> Who are you calling, love?**

He stared at the message with his jaw dropped and let out a “Holy _fuck!_ ” before tossing his phone away from him. He covered himself in blankets and got out of bed, leaving his room and his phone behind without a second thought. He decided to take refuge in his mom's room tonight. The bed was bigger, the pillows more comfortable, and it was the closest he got to having her here with him. He crawled into the mound of blankets and snuggled deep into the mattress as he screwed his eyes shut. It was official. He wasn't about to deny it, or play it down like a tough guy. At this very moment, he was scared out of his fucking mind.

Michael watched the morning sun as it shone through his mother's white sheer drapes. It was actually pretty calming, watching the shadows dance across the valley of folds. He smiled lightly, suddenly wishing she was here to talk to. He shut his eyes and snuggled further into the pillows, taking a deep, calming breath as he started dozing back to sleep.

Then, the doorbell rung. Michael kept his eyes shut, not moving a muscle.

A minute later, the doorbell rung again. He put a pillow over his head. He still could hear the sound of it going off repeatedly through the stuffing.

In truth he wanted to answer it, but in the not-so-off chance it was Gavin, well...

He really didn't want to get stuffed in that room with the others.

The doorbell rung a 4th time before the house phone officially went off. Michael felt his muscles freeze and tense. There was no stopping it. He had to answer. If he didn't and it _did_ happen to be Gavin, he could only fathom how he might react after feeling rejected. He let out a groan and took a deep breath, summoning up all the courage he could before sitting up straight in bed and grabbing the wireless off the nightstand.

“Gav I swear I didn't—”

“About fuckin' time,” Geoff let out, his voice cracking, “You over at Gavin's? Or are you too busy jacking off in your room to answer the damn door?”

“S-Sorry, sorry,” Michael rushed out of bed and hurried over to his room, “I slept late, I'll be out in a sec.”

He quickly hung up and tossed the house phone on his bed. He grabbed his own phone off the charger and quickly fumbled around trying to find a change of clean clothes, settling on an old shirt he won in a fishing contest and his Zelda crest hoodie. He dug around in his closet for his old converse and nearly broke his neck as he tried putting them on while going downstairs. When he opened up the front door, Geoff was standing there in his civilian clothes looking bored as hell.

“Sorry,” Michael huffed, stepping out the door and locking it behind him. Geoff looked at Michael up and down before scoffing, watching as the guy adjusted his beanie cap and glasses before kneeling down to tie his shoes.

“Rough night last night?”

“W-Wha? No?” Michael looked at him in confusion as he stood back up. Geoff's brow only arched upwards.

“A little someone forgot to check in after leaving a certain guy's house last night,” He made known.

“...Oh, shit, yeah...” Michael's eyes fell to the sidewalk, his hands going into his hoodie pockets where he gripped his phone tight. The cop smirked lightly and gestured over to his car parked right outside the driveway.

“C'mon, we got work to do.”

Michael followed closely beside him, the image of last night playing over in his head like a broken reel. That house, and everything he saw in there...He had to tell Geoff. He was part of the police. He could help.

“Hey,” He spoke up, looking over at Geoff as they approached the car, “L-Look, about Gavin, when I was over there—”

“Michael, please,”

The redhead stopped in his tracks and froze up as Gavin got out of the backseat and smiled, looking all shy with a blush on his cheeks.

“Gentlemen aren't supposed to kiss n' tell,” He remarked, “People'll think I'm loose.”

Michael was at a loss for words. He tried to say something, anything, but the image of the bodies in that room stopped him. Gavin stepped out of the car, his shy smile falling into genuine concern as he looked Michael over.

“You alright, Michael? You look a bit peaky,” He stared at his lover closely, taking note of his pale skin and sleep-deprived eyes, “Did you sleep okay? Didn't keep you up too long, did I?”

The minute Michael heard the sly chuckle from Geoff, he wanted to beam himself off the planet.

“I-I'm fine Gav,—” He quickly turned to look over at the cop, his cheeks burning red, “I-I went—We didn't—”

“In the car, please,” Geoff said as he slid into the driver's seat. “Trust me, I went to college. It's nothing I haven't seen before.”

Michael let out deflated sigh and mumbled something as he slid into the passenger's side. Gavin got into the back seat and sat directly behind him, watching the back of Michael's head intently with a timid smile still on his face.

  
The highway was running smoothly this morning, much to Michael's surprise. He stared out the window and watched as the world passed by. Trees, cars, the clouds in the sky. He focused on anything and everything he could through the window.

Anything to distract him from the fact that Gavin was staring directly at him the entire time.

“So...seems Ray was abducted last night,” Geoff said slowly, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead of him.

Michael frowned and turned to look at him. “What?”

“Yup,” He chirped, “Gaggle of religious nutjobs who call themselves the Temple of Beacon. They got their hands on him.”

“Beacon,” Michael quoted, frowning at the odd choice of name. Geoff gave him a nod.

“That's what my diary says, anyway,” He pulled off into the next exit and started making his way into the next lane, “We're heading over there now. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly in there, I might need you two to run interference.”

Michael swallowed hard. The two of them. Him and Gavin. Just thinking about it made his stomach twist. Thinking about the bodies he had stuffed away made it even worse.

None of them really know what to expect as they pulled up to the shrine. It was surrounded by tall trees and decorated with lavish greenery. Large wooden archways lined the path towards the temple, each one decorated with a flag showing a rose with flaming petals. Scores of people were lined up outside the temple's doors, each one praying as rose petals were thrown over them by the shrine maidens.

Michael shifted uncomfortably in place, watching them all while Geoff went off to find out who was in charge. Gavin stood eagerly behind him, not saying a single word. He just looked at him and smiled, trailing along like a little duckling as Michael walked over to the pond to sit down.

“Look, I get it,” The shrine maiden spoke, looking at Geoff's badge closely before handing it back, “But no offense, she wouldn't even see Jesus Christ without an appointment.”

“Could you at least try and ask her?” Geoff begged, “If she says no, I promise to be out of your pretty pink hair.”

“Creepy flattery, solid,” She gave him a sarcastic smile before shaking her head with a sigh, “Alright, I'll go and ask, but if you're smart you won't get your hopes up.”

A smile stretched across Geoff's mustached face. “You're a life saver, Lindsay.”

“Yeah, yeah. Suzy!” She called over to a girl with long black hair handing out prayer tags, “We got a live one!”

Michael reached over and picked up a tiny frog that had been sitting on the rock in front of him. He stared at it's beedy little eyes, watching as it's throat stretched out with each little croak. Poor thing was defenseless, much like he was right now.

Michael turned his head turned slightly and looked over his shoulder. Gavin was still sitting behind him, uncomfortably close, not saying a word, and still smiling.

' _S_ _top hovering, dammit._ ' Michael thought, tossing the frog back into the pond and watching it skip. Just as it was about to hit the water a second time, a fish suddenly came up and caught it in its mouth. Michael's jaw dropped.

“Oh _shit!”_

“Hey!” Geoff called, sounding oddly paternal as he eyed the two, “Language.”

One of the temple-goers who was busy praying looked over at the three strangers, their eyes narrowing.

“ ** _Rude. All of them._ ”**

Inside the temple, a young woman was busy looking down at a large scroll and laughing. She put a hand to her lips, trying hard to hide her beaming grin as she read the story below.

“This is gonna be fun.”

  
Not two minutes later, Lindsay came back to tell Geoff that the high priestess was willing to see them without an appointment. The three men followed her to the inside where they slipped off their shoes and were adorned with strange arm bands. Geoff's was red, Gavin's was white, and Michael's was black.

“Everybody ready?” Lindsay asked, adjusting her own sash before looking at the visitors.

“Yeah, but uh...” Geoff held up a little gold charm dangling at the end of a stick, “What's this for?”

“It's called tradition,” She remarked. She walked over to Michael and helped him put his arm band on the right way. “Here. I know it's confusing, but it's supposed to go on your right arm.”

Michael felt a warm twinge creep on his cheeks as she chuckled lightly and smiled.

“Thanks,” he said, immediately tensing as Gavin walked up beside him without saying anything.

“Mine okay?” He asked the pink haired girl with a smile. Lindsay looked at it and nodded with a smile.

“Yep,” She took a step forward and put her hands on the double doors in front of her, “Alright, everyone look sharp, and let her speak first. Follow me.”

  
“Michael Jones,” The priestess read, watching them through the scroll sprawled out across from her, “First among the diary keepers, evader of no less than two dead ends, and not too hard on the eyes...”

She viewed each party member carefully, her eyes stopping on the brunette with them. Gavin Free...

“His companion's a fifth wheel,” She muttered.

  
“Her ladyship is through here,” Lindsay announced, escorting the three men inside to the main room. Michael followed closely behind Geoff, growing uneasy at the look of the place as they walked in. Scores of people sat on the floor in even rows of 10 on either side of the room. They were all dead silent, their eyes pointed forward. All of them were adorned with the same color sash with the flaming rose symbol printed on it. Geoff wasn't kidding. This place really _did_ look like a cult.

They reached the center of the room and got down on their knees, giving a brief bow before looking forward. Michael's eyes went wide at the sight. At the very end of the room sat a large wooden cage that went from the floor to the ceiling, a woman in golden yellow robes sat inside, kneeling with a scroll and a low leg table in front of her. Parts of her golden blonde hair was pulled up into two little buns with the rest of it cascading down her shoulders. She looked kind, and beautiful.

“It's an honor to make your acquaintance,” She said, genuinely smiling as she looked to the three with warm eyes, “I am Barbara Dunkleman, head priestess of Beacon. I do hope you enjoy your stay here.”

Michael was about to respond and say hi back, but she continued.

“I would have a closer look at your face, Michael,”

Michael got a closer look at her eyes. So big and doll like, and such a pretty blue. But they seemed a little dull, clouded...

And then, it clicked for him. “You're...”

“Yes, unfortunately,” She mused, “I've been burdened with poor vision since childhood. Thus, I've spent most of my life in this humble cell. One of the few comforts I've been afforded was a chance to write about the visitors I receive from all over the world...”

She reached forward and touched the opened scroll in front of her. “A month ago, however, my record of such people began to offer details of events that hadn't happened yet...”

All three men perked up. Michael's stomach dropped. Geoff's fists clenched.

Barbara only smiled. “I've taken to calling it the Clairvoyant Diary. Written in it are the observations of those around me.”

“Shit,” Geoff muttered.

“This is my diary,” She announced proudly, “I am designated Sixth among you!”

' _Well_ _, fuck,_ ' Geoff thought bitterly, ' _What am I supposed to do now?!_ ' He'd set up for a raid in case he didn't make it out of here. If her Diary was the Clairvoyant one, then..

Barbara looked down at her scroll and smiled. “Detective, I see you set up for a raid as a precautionary measure. Very sharp.”

She looked to the right of her scroll, and although she could vaguely see it, she could read how terrified Michael really was. The redhead sat there with his lips pursed shut, his fists clenching as he visibly shook. She was another Diary user. They were on _her_ playing field. If her followers decided to attack all three of them—

“There's no need to be scared, Michael,” The blonde giggled. She looked over at him with a toothy smile, “I promise, you have nothing to fear from me. I have no desire to succeed God.”

Geoff's eyes narrowed to slits. Something didn't feel right.

“The man called Ninth is being held below,” She announced, “You've got my permission to do with him what you will.”

Now something _definitely_ didn't feel right. “No,” Geoff said as he stood up, “No this is way too easy. What's the catch?”

“I'm not one to meddle in secular matters,” She remarked, holding up her scroll for them to see, “My thought is bent on...more _eternal_ concerns.”

The other three couldn't read everything the scroll said, but they could see the words DEAD END in big bold letters.

“Oh my god,” Michael breathed, tensing up as Barbara set down the scroll and pointed to him.

“ _You_ though,” She remarked, “In the course of this shameful game, you have already foiled two Dead Ends. Thus, as a catch, I propose an exchange of sorts. I'll give you Ray Narvaez... ”

Gavin's eyes narrowed to slits this time, watching as the blonde smiled warmly at Michael.

“...So long as Michael here stays and protects me.”

“Hell no!” Gavin snapped before Michael could even process the request, “We're not agreeing to that!”

Geoff didn't say a word, he just put a hand to his chin in thought. If he didn't go along with what Sixth wanted, Ray would just inevitably escape and more than likely kill her. He couldn't have that. He turned to look back at Michael.

“It's your call, man. What do ya say?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but Gavin quickly interjected.

“He says no!”

“Please,First,” Barbara begged, her voice calm and sweet as the redhead looked between her and Gavin. He looked like he was being physically tugged from both sides without anyone touching him. He swallowed hard for a second before nodding firmly. They needed Ray alive, so he'd do the best he could to protect Sixth. Gavin would just have to deal with it.

  
Evening time rolled around when Suzy and Lindsay came in with a futon and some blankets. Geoff and Gavin waited outside patiently in the temple courtyard, looking inward at the cage while Barbara and Michael talked in private.

“S-So uh, what's your diary say about who's coming after you?” He asked, scratching the back of his head nervously as Lindsay smiled at him as she walked past. The two girls set down the futon inside the cage and gave a bow of respect before leaving. Barbara smiled lightly and opened up her scroll.

“That's one of the many limitations of this thing,” She sighed lightly, “It doesn't say anything about my enemy...”

Michael nodded lightly in response, tensing as he looked to his left and saw Gavin staring right at him with his phone out. He was like a restless animal on a short leash, looking anxious and ready to pounce at any given moment. Michael tried to smile at him to let him know it was okay, that he made a promise to her just for tonight, but that didn't stop the brunette from eyeing daggers over at Barbara behind the cage.

“If it's not too bold,” She said suddenly, “That guy over there's a threat to you,”

Michael's insides twisted as he looked at her. Her gentle smile had fallen to one of genuine seriousness and concern.

“I can't condescend to trust him,” She remarked, looking at his blurred face with sad eyes, “My heart tells me that if you're not careful, you'll most definitely be killed by him.”

The thought of the bodies in his room flashed across his mind again. She wasn't wrong. He swallowed hard, his eyes pointing down to her diary.

“I-Is that what...like, your diary says?”

She shook her head. “What my intuition says...”

  
“ _5:50,_ ” Gavin reads on his phone, “ _Michael talks to Sixth. Michael looks uncomfortable after the Sixth says something bad about me..._ ”

The future text made his insides start to burn and twist, his nose wrinkling as he continued to read further.

 **5/05 5:50  
** **That woman is really mean!  
** **All I want is to be happy with Michael.**

 **5/05 6:00  
** **Michael is looking at me suspiciously.  
** **It's all that woman's fault.**

 **5/05 6:10  
** **Michael is confused!  
** **It's all that woman's fault.**

Gavin's lips pursed tightly as he scowled at his phone. “ _Don't let that woman get inside your head, my love..._ ” He glared over at Barbara, gripping his phone tight. “ _I'll kill her if she does._ ”

Just then, his phone let out a static hiss and the future on scree started to glitch and change. Right as he looked up over at Michael, flames started to burst from the futon blankets and mattresses inside Barbara's cage. She let out a scream as the flames started to grow, and Michael started running in after her.

“Barbara!” Michael exclaimed, suddenly getting knocked over as men from the temple came running in. The eldest man in charge looked at the scene in horror and started yelling instructions. Another man came in soonafter, carrying a bucket full of liquid and threw it forward. The flames only licked higher inside the cage. 

The elder male backed up and looked at him with widened eyes, his jaw dropping at the smell in the air, “W-what are you doing?! That's gasoline!!”

The other man didn't answer. He only blinked few times in pure confusion before perking up. “Wha... What? What's happening?”

The old man shoved the guy away before turning sharply towards the other templegoers, “Someone get water, now! Hurry!!” Just before he could get another word out, another templegoer suddenly charged forward and slammed a large axe into the man’s head. Michael let out a shout as the man's skull cracked open and blood started gushing down his face. The elder dropped to the ground instantly, his attacker just standing behind him without a word. The man who dealt the deadly blow blinked a few times and looked down to the bloody mess at his feet, furrowing in confusion.

“Wh...What on earth?” Just then his head was yanked back and a knife slid across his throat. A small woman who worked in the kitchens didn't say anything as blood spurted out and splashed onto her knew clothing. Michael almost fell back in shock.

Death began filling the room as more Beacon followers shuffled in with weapons in their hands. They began hacking at each other, slitting throats, bashing in skulls, chopping off limbs and ripping at each other's insides. Blood and entrails were spattering everywhere. No one even said a thing. No one shouted in pain or even screamed in horror at what was happening around them. They were alive, yet completely lifeless. It was almost like they were zombies.

Michael was at a loss for words. He could only blink, his brown eyes wide at the carnage everywhere.

“W-what the fuck's _wrong_ with these people?!” He let out. He shook his head rapidly and turned towards the fiery cage. He needed to get Barbara out of here. They all need to get out of here. He winced for a moment as he yanked the bloodied axe out of the Elder's head. He tried not to think about it. He needed to focus. He focused on Barbara and started to bolt towards the cage.

“Barbara I'm—“

”Don't!” Gavin let out, running up behind him and stopping a foot or so away, “I forbid you!”

Michael paused and turned to face him. Gavin stood strong, looking at his lover with pleading eyes despite how Michael was looking at him.

“You expect me to just let her die?!” He asked, anger burning in his words.

“Yes I do!” Gavin said firmly, ignoring the couple that hacked at each other's throats beside him. Instead he held up his phone, scrolling through the future notes rapidly, “Have you noticed what's going on?! We need to leg it! Look around!”

Another young woman came up and stabbed her husband in the back of the skull before getting stabbed in the head herself. Gavin stepped out of the way as they both fell over and held up his phone to show Michael.

“The chances of this being anything but a trap are so low, it's bloody ridiculous,” He offered Michael an assuring smile, “You're gonna die, Michael! We're playing right into their hands!”

Michael shook his head firmly. He had a mission. “Look, I have to do this, Gav—”

“Please, Michael!” Gavin begged out sweetly, “Just trust me!”

Michael was in shock. “Listen to yourself! How are you okay with just letting someone die?!”

“Sweetie, please, not now,” Gavin begged, trying to find a way to get him away from the fire, “We'll, um...talk at home?” 

That only seemed to set the redhead off. Michael's expression went dark, his eyes burning with an anger hotter than the fire that raged on behind him.

“ _So you can kill me and stuff me into a closet?_ ”

Gavin’s smile flattened, his green eyes widening as Michael's fists clenched.

“What would’ve happened if I hadn't run like hell that night?!” He snapped, the words spewing out of him like lava in a volcano, “Would you have added me to your little fucked up collection?!”

Gavin didn't say a word. He just watched as Michael's grip on the axe grew tight, his lover's brown eyes wide and firm with anger and terror.

“You want me to _trust_ you after the shit I've seen?!” He let out, “Well I’m sorry _sweetie_ but that's not gonna fucking happen! You need help! You're completely out of your fucking mind!”

Michael turned back around and ran to go help Barbara. Gavin stood there in complete shock, tears streaming down his face.

“M-M...Michael...” He sniffled.

  
Rage and adrenaline was coursing through him as he ran ahead. He looked around only for a moment, still in disbelief at the sight of everyone killing each other off. What on earth was happening?! He gripped the ax tightly in his hand as he approached the door, grunting as he swung at the lock and hacked at it over and over again. Right when it came off he pushed the door open and booked it inside.

“Barbara are you—?!” Just as he stepped in, the sprinklers went off above him. Water began raining down and started dousing the fires out slowly. Michael looked down at his phone. Someone had disabled the sprinklers, but Geoff went and fixed them. He let out a huff of relief.

“Thank fuck,” He breathed, looking over at Barbara, “Hey, I think we're gonna be okay now.”

The head priestess didn't answer. She just stood there, clutching her diary tight as she stared at the scene in front of her. The Beacon followers continued to swing at each other with their weapons, long after the fires went out and only the charred remnants remained. Barbara blinked at them without a word, watching as blood continued to splatter and stain the sopping wet floors. Michael stepped forward, calling her name softly before freezing up as the blonde took a deep breath,

“CONDUCT YOURSELVES LIKE HUMAN BEINGS!” She screamed sternly.

Just then, all her followers stopped killing. Instead they all blinked at each other as if they had just woken up. Murmurs began filling the room as they dropped their weapons and looked around, asking left and right what had happened to them. The blonde woman turned to her protector and looked at him through streaks of her wet hair.

“As for you, Michael Jones,”

She watched as Michael tensed up and his grip om the axe grew tight. She smiled gently.

“I admire your bravery,” She remarked, “Thank you.”

Gavin stood at the building's entryway and watched as Michael and Barbara continued to talk to each other. He visibly shook in place, gripping his phone tightly in his hand. It didn't matter to him that there were bodies strewn everywhere, that water was soaking his clothes and blood was staining his socks. What kept playing in his mind over and over was how angry Michael was with him. How hurtful his words were...

“ _You're completely out of your fucking mind!_ ”

He sniffled hard. He knew Michael. He would never say something that mean. Why would he? There had to be some explanation. There had to be...There was. It stood only a couple of feet or so away from his man, smiling sweetly as if this wasn't at all her fault.

‘ _I know my Michael. He'd never say something like that_ ,' He thought to himself, watching the blonde with narrowed eyes, ' _Sixth is behind this...She has control of his mind..._ '

Tears continued to stream down his face as he watched the two talking. The smile on Barbara's face grew. Michael's grew as well. Gavin's nose wrinkled and his muscles tensed.

“ _The bitch has it coming anyway.._.' He thought to himself, his eyes falling to the bloody axe by his feet, ' _So...yeah...No reason I can't be the one to do it._ ’

  
“So...what do you think happened?” Michael asked, swiping the wet hair out of his eyes as Barbara continued to look forward.

“My guess is some sort of Hypnosis,” She remarked simply, her fingers clenching tighter on her scroll as her brows knitted, “Which means the enemy knows my Diary's weakness...”

  
The enemy Barbara spoke of was closer than she or anyone else thought. Sitting in the dungeons down below, Ray was busy fiddling with the binds on his wrists. He couldn't see all that well, given his depth perception was shot to shit after having his eye gouged out, but that didn't stop him.

His captor sat just outside the steel bars of his cell, holding up a little jar of fluid—in it was his damaged eyeball bobbing up and down.

“You gotta admit, Ninth, losing an eye wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” His captor chuckled, shaking the jar a little to watch it move before looking at Ray. He was now sporting a black eyepatch, it paired well the bitter expression on his face.

“It’s a good look for you, Ninth, honestly,” The stranger perked up a little, briefly putting a hand to his mouth, “Oh—sorry, do you prefer Ray?”

Ray sat there on the ground, hands bound tightly over his head. He shot a death glare at the man in the mask, thinking 'Fuck you,' over and over.

“Plotting your escape?” The stranger asked, “I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. It's nothing personal, but between you and Barb up there, there's no contest.”

“Fuck you!” He finally let out.

“It's the truth,” The stranger claimed, “You see in Rock/Paper/Scissors, paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beat paper. All three elements are locked into that dynamic permanently; just as your ability to escape will always lose out to her clairvoyance...”

Ray swallowed hard and continued to twist and tug at his binds. The stranger didn't seem to care. He just that there, humming lightly.

“Interesting,” He mused, tilting his head up towards the ceiling, “It's quiet up above...I wonder what could have quelled their little fracas...”

Ray furrowed lightly. “ _The hell is he talking about?_ ” He thought to himself, “ _It's been dead down here..._ ”

  
Night time finally came and surrounded the temple in darkness. Geoff still wasn't back yet from fixing the sprinklers, and Michael was starting to grow worried. He called four times already, and still no answer.

Meanwhile, Barbara was knelt down at her table, scrolling through her diary for any answers.

“The person who tried to kill me is still on the premises,” She remarked, holding a magnifying glass over the text as she roamed through it, “The question is where. As my diary unfurls, so do the thoughts of my thousand-odd devotees.”

She then stopped on a set of text. “There.”

Michael put his phone in his pocket and leaned over to look to at the scroll.

 **Guardian (Miles Luna)  
** **Spots suspicious person in lodge.  
** **Pursues, but loses sight.**

“An outsider is coming through the lodge,” She announced, “They must be confronted immediately. Acolytes!”

Two followers came forward and followed the priestess' instruction to pursue the suspect. Just as they left, Michael noticed the scripture change and another text appeared.

“W-Wait, look at this,” He pointed out.

“Someone suspicious near the back gate,” She read, furrowing slightly, “So there's two of them? But the gate's on the other side of the complex.”

“Shit, there's another one!” Michael said, pointing down to another text about a suspicious figure in a completely different spot. Just then, the text blurred out and changed a third time. More and more figures were popping up, and soon that's all the diary read.

“What the hell just happened?!” Michael let out.

“It's as if the shrine is being infested,” Barbara gasped, “The picture my diary creates is too chaotic. In tandem, these futures are a mess!”

Just then the door to the cage creaked open and Michael turned, almost yelping as Gavin started climbing in with a bloody axe in his hand.

“Gavin!” He called out, stopping the brit from fully coming in, “L-Look, just give us a minute, okay?...Maybe you could wait outside for me?”

The brunette paused for a bit, looking up to think about it before grinning.

“Okay boi, if that's what you want!” He chirped while slipping back out, “Don't keep me waiting too long though!”

Watching Gavin smile while holding an axe was completely unnerving. Michael swallowed hard, taking Barbara's hand and carefully leading her out of the cage and down the steps.

“You sure you're alright?” He asked, looking at the blonde's worried expression. She still gave him a small smile and nodded. Michael smiled back lightly. She was strong.

“Always the perfect gentleman, isn't he?” Gavin spoke, stepping forward with the axe out at his side. Barbara stood a little straighter while Michael put a protective arm in front of her.

“Come on,” Gavin urged, his voice still sweet and endearing as he smiled, “Not fair of you to hog him all to yourself!”

“Michael's help is essential,” Barbara assured, her blue eyes firm as she stood there, unafraid, “I'll only need him for a little while longer—”

“That's too damn bad!” Gavin snapped, his attitude going from sweet to menacing within seconds. He held the bloodied axe out and pointed it at her, “Besides, he won't be much use to you after you're dead!”

“Gavin!” Michael let out, instantly stopping as his phone let out a shrill tone from his pocket. He pulled it out to look at it, watching with wide eyes as a Dead End scrawled across his screen. Gavin looked down at his own phone as well, his heart sinking to his stomach.

 **5/05 6:55  
** **The followers are going to kill Michael!  
** **Oh no!**

 **5/05 7:05  
** **Michael died.**

“Oh no, another Dead End's been triggered for you, love," He said with a shaking voice.

  
“You're the Twelfth,” Ray spoke, watching as the stranger in the mask smiled, “I remember you now. You're the freak in the game, the only one willing to wear a costume.”

“The name's Adam,” He said with an amused grin, putting the headphones latched to his phone in his ear. He hit the play button and listened closely, shutting his eyes. “Chaos rules the day up there. It's only a matter of time.”

“Matter of time for what?” Ray asked.

“For those evil cultists to die,” Adam answered, the pride dripping from his voice as he stood up from his chair, “Nothing's going to stand in my way. In the end, Justice always wins.”

A smirk stretched across Ray's lips. Oh, how wrong he was.

“That a fact?” He asked, earning an inquisitive look from the masked man, “Your little ointment's attracted a fly, dude. Someone I don't think you were planning on.”

  
Michael stared at his phone screen, trying to rack his brain for an idea on what to do next. Barbara did the same as well, carefully scanning through her own Diary for any answers. The enemy was making their move. They had to make a counter-one fast.

Gavin just stood there with his phone out, looking like he was in a trance while Michael and Barbara worked.

The redhead let out a frustrated growl. “I wish we knew where the fuck they were operating from!”

Gavin's eyes fell to the bodies on the ground, his head tilting ever so slightly at the sight of them. His eyes widened, his lips smiling with an excited gasp once he realized it. Winding up, he raised the axe in his hands high above him and began smashing it into the corpses' skulls.

Barbara let out a scream and turned away while Michael jumped and backed up.

“Gavin what the fuck?!” He let out, still keeping the blonde behind him as Gavin hacked into another dead body. The brunette looked up at him with a bright smile, blood splattered all across his face.

“Grab an axe, Boi! We’ve got to kill the corpses!” He chirped, grinning widely.

  
Adam's eyes widened and he ripped off his headphones, looking up at the ceiling.

“He's onto me!”

  
Slowly the people Michael thought were all dead started to rise from the ground. It was like something out of a horror movie, both Michael and Barbara were in shock.

“See? They've been hypnotized into playing possum,” Gavin explained, swinging the ax at a body charging towards Michael. Barbara backed up and winced as the blood spurted on her robes and face. Michael grabbed her hand and pulled her away, another follower running towards them with a bat. Gavin quickly ran at him and swung the blade into the follower's neck, causing his head to snap and dangle off. With a series of rapid and deep breaths he lunged forward, slamming his axe through the skull of a female follower. He yanked it back out and kicked the corpse down, turning and swinging his weapon in an arc. He sliced off the head of another follower, this one in normal civilian attire.

One by one, the hypnotized bodies went down as Gavin sliced through them all with burning determination. Barbara was at a loss for words, standing there in shock as more followers were coming up to her, and more bodies kept piling up at her feet. He was using her as bait, plain as day. A teenaged follower holding a knife was coming at her before Gavin swung up and sliced her wrists off. Blood splashed out and stained his shirt before he kicked the body over and slammed his axe down into her skull. When he stood back up, he stared directly at Barbara. His breathing was growing heavy and ragged, his eyes were almost as wide as his smile. He stared at the blonde for a moment, smiling at her sickened look before he hacked into another follower's neck and kicked it's head off.

Below, Adam was completely speechless. He didn't understand. He'd planned it all perfectly...

“I...I...”  
  
Ray let out a rolling chuckle, looking up towards the man with a snide grin. “Aw, you poor dumbass. You've never met Gavin Free.”

  
“Time to choose, Michael,” Gavin chirped, snapping the redhead out of his horrified stare. The brunette had tried to be careful and get as little blood on Michael as possible, but little red splatters still peppered his face and clothes. Michael swallowed hard, still gripping Barbara's hand tight as the two of them stared at Gavin.

“Ch...” He cleared his throat a little, “Ch-Choose what?”

Gavin turned to him with an insane smile, blood splattered all over him. “Stick with me and get out of this alive, or stay with the slag and say goodnight.”

Barbara was struck with blind panic as she stared at the man. “ _What is he?_ ” She thought, gripping her diary tight.

Gavin simply smiled brighter at his love, only a little giggle away from sounding cheery as he gripped the axe.

“Better hurry, boi.”


	6. PLUTO || VOICE MEMO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Twelfth's assault on Barbara continues, with Michael caught in the crossfire. As the truth behind the cult is revealed, who's side is the Sixth really on? Who is Michael supposed to trust?

“Time to choose, Michael.”

A cold chill ran up Michael's spine as he stared over at Gavin. Blood spattered across his face, a loving smile on his lips. He couldn't believe what he was seeing...

“Gavin,” He breathed, shaking his head in disbelief, “Y-You can't be serious. We can't just leave her!”

“Whoever's behind this is after Sixth, not us,” Gavin reasoned, “There's no reason why we can't just ditch her. Leaving means we'll live!”

Barbara glared at the brunette bitterly, her expression softening as Michael shook his head firmly.

“I promised to try and protect her,” He asserted, “I'm not leaving here withou—”

Just then another mindless follower came charging forward with an axe raised high. Gavin sprinted right at him and swung his axe around quick as lightning, chopping the guy's arm off before it could get to Michael. Blood came spurting out and hit the both of them, leaving Michael in complete shock as the red liquid splattered across his face.

He swore to protect Barbara, he thought, what on earth made him think he could?

* * *

Despite being burdened with poor vision since childhood, Barbara never complained once. She was given a second sight, a voice beyond the blurred veil that whispered of the future and what was to come. Her parents were quick to work this talent to their advantage, using her as a mouthpiece to preach their designs. She was happy all the same. Her visitors were kind, and often delightful. They adorned her with gifts and fun stories from the outside world. Lonliness never touched her.

Until fate laid it's hand on her parents, and stole them away from her in the dead of night.

They were on their way back from recruiting, the Elder told her. It was a complete accident. The brakes on their car just gave out. Neither of them made it. They died on impact.

It was after that the world around her grew dark. The paradise she grew up in became an ugly, tainted hell hole. The ones she called her friends and devotees looked to the Elder for guidance now, and followed his every whim as he preached of purging sin into a single host body for purification.

The purging lasted for days on end, hours at a time. And the more her followers purged onto her, the more tainted she became. Her wrists and ankles were starting to bruise, her fingertips starting to bleed as he scratched at the flooring, crying bitterly with her face in the ground. Her only comfort, a little doll that her mother had given her was slowly moving away from her line of vision, and into the crowd of monsters that surrounded her. They didn't care for her cries, her screams for them to stop, ' _purge and purify_ ', they would chant as they ripped at her robes, ' _purge and purify_. _Purge and purify._ '

“I hate you,” she would scream in her head, her voice too weak to escape, “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!”

And then, as if her cries had been answered, her scroll unfurled and fell in front of her. Within it was the tool she needed to rise back to power, and have her followers see who had the earned the title of true priesthood. After that, she swore to herself never again. Never again would she let someone get the best of her, never again would she be abused, thrown around, degraded to nothing. She would stay above it, no matter what.

Just then Barbara blinked and nearly jumped out of her skin as one of her followers was violently kicked into the sliding door. She watched as the body toppled forward and broke it open, letting in the night air and giving them a clear path towards freedom. Gavin came sprinting back from the doorway and immediately latched onto Michael's hand.

“Right, we have an exit,” He said quickly, “Let's leg it!”

Just before they could move, Michael turned around sharply and held his other hand out, looking directly at Barbara. “We're getting you out of here!”

Behind him, Gavin's expression went bitter as the redhead grabbed Barbara's hand and held it tight. The blonde looked touched, her smile gentle as she was pulled along towards the exit.

“I was right to put my trust in you,” She said, jumping a second time as Gavin swung his arm around and broke the second door open beside him. The brunette was on point as he lead the other two through the winding hallways of the temple. Right as they were rushing through the courtyard, Michael's phone buzzed in his pocket. He let go of Gavin's hand to pull it out and see who was calling.

It was Geoff.

“Hey, sorry it took so long,” He said with a crooked smile as Michael picked up. He turned around every which way, observing the dank, dark basement closely. “Turns out sprinklers are hard as dicks to fix.”

“Get out of there!” He heard Michael bark.

The cop furrowed. “What?”

“Somebody's done something to the cultists!” Michael explained, sounding out of breath as he continued to run and pull Barbara at the same time.

Geoff's nose wrinkled in confusion. “Wha?”

“They're killing each other!” The guy snapped, “Look, just get the fuck out of there! I don't have time to explain everything!”

“Alright! Jesus!” Geoff let out, his voice cracking, “I already called in for backup. Make a beeline for the front gate. When you get out there tell the boys you're with me, they'll look after you.”

“Well what're you gonna do?!”

“I'm going to find Ninth,” He said before hanging up.

  
“ _6:47 pm_ ,” Adam heard himself chirp through his headphones, “ _I tell Ninth about my plans for the future and how the cult will get what they deserve. He isn't impressed._ ”

Ray's one good eye narrowed as he watched the masked man listen intently to his phone. He was hunched over in his chair, looking oddly determined with his hands folded in his lap. Whatever he was listening to was important. As important as a glimpse into his future, perhaps? He had to be sure.

“Hey,” He called out, “What are you doing?”

After a few seconds Adam finally looked up at him, smiling while holding up his phone. “Enjoying a sneak preview.”

Ray shifted a little in place. Adam only smiled wider.

“Say hello to the Demo Diary,” He remarked, “It predicts all forms of future crime and injustice, and provides video clips of the criminals doing such.”

Ray kept his lips pursed shut as he snickered. There was a _Minority_ _Report_ reference in there somewhere, but he couldn't think of anything witty to say off the bat.

“You should really thank this thing,” The twelfth spoke, looking down at his device with a smile, “It helped me find you and give you proper first aid.”

Now Ray let out a scoff. “Oh yeah, thanks for capturing me and gouging my fucking eye out, you psychotic—”

“ _You_ Ninth,” Adam interrupted, pointing his phone in the Diary User's direction, _“You_ are merely a token of my fake loyalty to Sixth. I had to enter this shithole without getting killed, and I knew you'd be the best way in.”

His phone suddenly let out a static whine and Adam furrowed, turning up the volume on his phone. Ray watched as the man's expression went firm and he suddenly got up from his seat.

“What is it now?” He couldn't help but ask, his eye following the masked man as he moved.

“I'm gonna need to use your explosives,” He said plainly. Ray tried to turn, but his bound wrists kept him place.

“Wait! What'd the diary tell you?!” He let out.

Adam stopped and turned to look at him, a cheeky smile slowly stretching across his lips. Ray tensed up.

“Careful Ninth,” He warned, “You're cute and all, but I've got my eye on somebody else at the moment.”

Ray's mouth dropped. “W-Wait that's not—!”

“It's alright,” Adam assured with a light laugh in his voice, “I got this. Righteousness will be satisfied.”

Just before leaving, he stopped and tossed the keys towards Ray's cell, watching them as they skidded to his feet. “I’d haul ass if I were you.”

* * *

 

Gavin felt like his chest was on fire. His muscles were starting to sting. His lungs were starting to hurt. He had to keep moving though. For Michael. He had to keep moving for him, no one else.

Especially not for the bitch still latched in the back like dead weight.

He took a sharp right down another hallway and pulled Michael forward, not giving Barbara enough time to dodge the wall and instead slamming her right into it. She let out a noise but quickly regained herself, staring bitterly at Gavin as he lead them.

“If I didn't know any better, I'd think you did that on purpose!” She let out.

Gavin didn't bother to deny it. He just kept moving forward. “Whatever, don't get your knickers in a twist, we're almost there!”

“Gavin,” Michael called, his face falling in concern. The guy's hand felt warm and sweaty in his palm. He could hear the Gavin's labored breathing, his struggle to keep going clear on his face. He was pushing himself too hard.

As the three of them ran down the hall, a few of Barbara's devotees spotted them and gasped in awe. The three of them were greeted with warm smiles and timid greetings as they ran past.

“Good evening, my lady,”

“Wonders to see you out, your ladyship,”

“It's a great honor,”

“My, isn't she beautiful? I'd never seen her before,”

“I don't like where this is going,” Michael mumbled, gripping onto Gavin and Barbara's hands. He was actually really unnerved at how kind and courteous these people were being, despite what happened only minutes ago. More and more people continued to greet them as they ran past. It looked like no one was chasing them, they didn't even look like the crazed killer zombies back in the main room. They all seemed relatively normal...for cultists anyway. Maybe they snapped out of it.

Whatever the case was, the three of them weren't going to stay and find out. They were reaching the final corridor before the front gate. They could see it across the small stretch of courtyard. They were almost in the clear.

The sudden grip on Michael's wrist caused him to pause and stumble a little as Barbara pulled him back.

“Wait, Michael!” She begged, her grip on his wrist softening to a gentle touch,“The hold on my followers is gone.”

“Wh—What?” Michael looked at her and shook his head, “N-No, we gotta haul ass Barbara—”

“They're back to normal now, look at them,” She explained, her hand gently placing itself over his, “We can retaliate with full force. We have numbers on our side.”

Gavin suddenly let go of Michael's other hand and stepped forward. Despite looking exhausted, a light smile was on his face as he neared her with the axe in his other hand. It was clear what he was about to do, and Michael held an arm out to stop him.

“Gavin, stop!” He demanded, “Whatever you're about to do, just stop it!”

“There's nothing to worry about, boi,” Gavin remarked sweetly, “It won't take long.”

Michael's arm nearly fell to his side in shock. The guy looked completely unhinged, his forest green eyes wide and manic, like he was in a far off daze somewhere. Gavin was gone. Whoever was standing before him , this one one was willing to kill without so much as a second thought.

“I'm onto you,” He said over to Barbara, his eyes never leaving hers, “Don't think I can't see it. I won't sit here and let you trick him.”

Barbara didn't move a muscle. She only gripped Michael's hand even more, leaning closer to him.

“You see it, right Michael?” She asked him, her plush lips nearing his earlobe, “He's insane. Remember what I said.”

Michael stared directly at Gavin and the eerily strict look on his face. His eyes fell to the bloody axe still in his hands. It wouldn't be much, but he had to get it away from him at least.

Slowly, he reached down, inching towards Gavin's hand. “G-Gav, why don't you give—”

His phone then buzzed in his pocket a second time. Michael jumped a little before pulling it out to see who was calling. He let out a sigh of relief and answered it.

“Geoff—”

“ _The hell are you two still dickin' around for?!_ ” He let out, causing Michael to hold the phone away from his ear, “ _Twelfth's about to be right on top of you!_ ”

The redhead winced a little before putting it back to his ear. “Wait, what? What do you mean?!”

  
“Son of a bitch,” Ray muttered, keeping his hands behind his head as faced the basement wall. Just his luck. Right when he managed to get out of his binds, Geoff shows up with a shit eating grin and a gun pointed right at him.

“Twelfth!” Geoff repeated loudly, making Ray jump in place, “The guy's a freakshow in a mask with crazy enhanced hearing. He's got explosives with him and he fully intends to use them!”

Michael's jaw dropped. “...Oh shit,”

“Yeah, _oh shit,”_ Geoff quoted, keeping his gun pointed at Ray as he turned around, “Now get the hell outta there! Go to the front gate!”

Just before Michael could get a word in, Gavin suddenly looked up and pointed out into the courtyard. “Michael! Someone's on the roof!”

Michael looked up to where he was pointing at. Five figures strategically scrambled across the rooftop before standing in a perfect line. They all sported masks in a different color and introduced themselves as such as a multicolored explosion went off behind them—Twelfth Red, Blue, Pink, Green, and White. Michael blinked at them in complete shock as they all leaped down from the rooftops and disappeared for a moment. What the hell was evening happening right now?

“It's like some knock-off Power Rangers bullshit,” He muttered, watching as the five of them walked into the wooden hallway and stood side by side one another. “Tell me they're not going to morph into Megazord.”

“Funny, First,” Red spoke, causing Michael to tense up at the fact that he heard him from that far.

Blue smiled and gave him a little bow. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“You're surprised, I bet,” Green sneered.

“Not that I blame you,” Pink chirped.

Michael stood there without a word. He had absolutely no response to what he was seeing. Five grown men, dressed in masks and capes.

Then Red suddenly pointed to him. “Sixth is playing you for a sucker, First!”

Michael's brows knitted. Blue pointed over Barbara. “The initiation for membership in this cult is sick and wrong. Newcomers to Beacon are forced to share the burden of this cult's evil secret, securing full loyalty from anyone who joins!”

“In short, this sect is a brainwashing factory,” White warned, “A cesspool for rapists and abusers to fester and excuse their sick behavior!”

Michael was at a loss for words. He looked over to Barbara, waiting for her to speak up, to defend herself. She didn't say anything. She just looked at the enemy Diary Users, her lips pursed shut, and her grip on her scroll tight.

“My purpose here tonight is to kill Sixth and Sixth alone,” Red announced, “I can't guarantee your safety First, so you and your friend should leave.”

“Be advised that one of me has swallowed a timed incendiary device,” Pink warned.

“And that me will be going out with a bang!” Blue chirped.

Michael swallowed hard. “W-well what about the other four?!” He asked, staring at them all warily.

“Hypnotized decoys I'm afraid,” Red said with a sigh, getting out his phone and carefully setting it down on the ground, “I've been given the misfortune of a Dead End. A shame too...”

Slowly he stood up straight, a smirk stretching across his face as he eyed Barbara. “...At least I'll have company with me in hell.”

“Right then!” Gavin chirped, reaching out to take Michael's hand, “Now's the perfect time to leg it, yeah?”

“I said I'm not leaving without Barbara,” Michael stated firmly, the blonde's cheeks turning pink behind him.

The multicolored diary users paused for only a second before bolting forward. Michael quickly got out his phone, scrolling through his diary for answers.

“Come on come on, there's gotta be something,” He said to himself, stopping on a post.

“Second one from the left!” he cried out, looking up as the masked strangers shuffled around and switched positions. His jaw dropped instantly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Gavin knelt down and picked up a pebble from the floor, staring at the Twelfths closely before bolting forward.

“Gavin!” Michael shouted, eyes widening.

“You’d seriously gamble with odds like these?!” Barbara asked out. Gavin simply ignored her, his eyes focused on the five targets in front of him. He held his axe up and briefly covered his hand with the pebble before lifting his arm. Quickly he threw it out to the left, secretly throwing the pebble under handed to his right. Just as the pebble hit the the railing on the bridge, each figure looked to the left, but only the one in the Red mask looked to the right. A smirk stretched across Gavin's face.

“Gotcha.” He gripped the axe with both hands and drew it back. Just as the other colors ran past, he took a large step and swung the blade around into Red's neck, violently cutting through the skin and causing blood to spurt out. Nothing was left on Gavin’s face for a few moments as he watched the blood fly out. The blow knocked the masked Man back off the bridge and into the courtyard. He muttered something as he fell. Something that sounded a lot like “You win.”

As soon as he heard the body hit the ground, Gavin finally stopped. He stumbled over and fell to his knees huffing and panting, barely flinching at the sudden explosion that went off where the real 12th had fallen. Michael immediately ran up to Gavin's side, holding him tight in order to keep him from falling over. His entire body was burning up like a furnace, his skin sticky with sweat and blood.

“Jesus christ, dude,” He breathed, touching the brunette's forehead. He'd been pushing himself too hard. Any minute now and he was sure to pass out.

Barbara slowly walked up behind him, still holding her scroll as she looked down at the two diary users.

“How valiant you two are for each other,” She remarked, taking note of how Michael was holding the exhausted brit, “Kudos to you, Second. You've earned my respect.”

Michael perked up at the sound of creaking wood, looking over at the front gate as it was being pushed shut by a small group of followers.

“Wh...What?” The alarms started going off in his head, more followers starting to walk up and surround them. “What are they doing?”

Quickly two men grabbed Michael and yanked him away, another set grabbing Gavin as he was too weak to fight back or stand. The redhead shouted and swore as they kept both their arms held back.

“What the hell are you all doing?!” He barked out, struggling to writhe his way out of his captor's grips, “Let us go! He needs to go to a hospital!”

Gavin mumbled something, only barely lifting his head to look up, sweat dripping down his nose. “S-sorry Michael...”

Michael's eyes went wide in panic. “Barbara, please! Call them off—”

“Shut up.” The blonde woman looked at Michael in disgust. One of her followers walked up to her and held out a long pipe, the tobacco in it already lit and ready to be smoked. The priestess took it into her hands and stared over at the redhead, looking anything but amused. “You really haven’t put it together, have you?" She shook her head, "Idiot. I’ve been meaning to kill all of you.”

She put the long pipe to her lips and took a tiny drag, exhaling smoke through her nostrils.

“Ray was simply bait, wheels within wheels, as our Game Master would say,” She pressed the end to her lips in thought, her brows knitting, “Although, I will say I didn’t plan on Twelfth screwing me over like that.” She glared bitterly, looking back at the two. Gavin looked ready to pass out. Michael only looked a mix between confused and heartbroken. It was actually kind of adorable. It made the blonde giggle lightly.

“Aw, don't look at me like that,” She walked up to him in a steady stride, tutting lightly, “You poor thing. You think I'm just a pretty face, so full of virtue and innocence.”

She immediately thought of herself laying on the floor, broken, dirty, and exposed for the circle of monsters around her to see.

“I lost my virtue long ago,” She made known, an amusing thought suddenly crossing her mind, “You know, this world is far too cruel to be naive in, let alone a virgin.” She leaned in gently, holding Michael's freckled cheeks with one hand. “We could do something about that for you, if you'd like.”

Her crystal blue eyes fluttered down to Michael's lips, a knowing smirk flashing on her face before she leaned in and started kissing him.

Gavin was wide awake now, his green eyes searing into the image of the blonde's lips heavy against Michael's. His heart was suddenly racing a mile a minute. The kiss was brief, but it was deep, and clearly meant to be erotic. Barbara simply looked over at Gavin as she pulled back, a small trail of saliva briefly connecting her lips with Michael's. She licked her lips a little and smiled sweetly, turning to look back at the redhead as she lovingly wiped the spit from his lips.

Tears were welling up in Gavin’s eyes as he glared at her. His jaw was clenched, his breathing falling into a ragged hiss as he watched the woman hand back her pipe before getting out her scroll.

“Now then, _children_ , let's see if the appropriate Dead End has appeared,” She said, opening her diary up carefully.

 **Tonight, Barbara Dunkleman will be killed.  
** **DEAD END**

Her hands began to shake as she stared down at the words in black and white ink. It was still there. Why was her Dead End still there?!

“No! H-how can this be?!” She asked out, “I can't believe-”

A loud whooshing sound followed by a guttural cry caused her to freeze up. She turned around sharply, watching as Gavin slammed his axe into the face of one of the men that'd been holding him. The blade went right in between the follower's forehead and nose, slitting across his eyes and causing blood to fly out as he yanked it back.

“You kissed my Michael!!!” He screamed, turning around sharply to rear back and slam the axe into the other follower's arm and chest. As soon as the body hit the ground he turned and stared directly at Barbara, looking completely crazed as he let out a scream and charged straight for her.

The blonde swallowed hard, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. ‘ _Stand firm,_ ' she thought to herself, ' _Protect the diary—_ ’ Suddenly she stopped, looking up in horror at Gavin with his axe held high above him.

“YOU WHORE!!” He screamed out, his voice cracking violently as he slammed the axe down right as she pulled the diary out of the way.

“GAVIN!” Michael screamed, wincing as the axe cut right through Barbara's forearm and caused it to fly off. The brunette let out a whimpering groan as he stumbled forward into Michael's arms, briefly relishing in his embrace before looking back up at Michael's panicked face.

“Gavin I—“

The brunette shook his head, panting and wheezing as he handed over his phone. Barbara continued to scream behind him, crying and groaning in pain.

“You have to...T-take this...,” He breathed, placing his arms on Michael's chest, “Make a run for it.”

Michael stammered to say something before Gavin pushed him backwards off the bridge. He hit the ground with a hard thud, the redhead letting out a loud swear before scrambling to his feet.

“Gavin!” He called out, earning no answer from above. “Gavin!!”

Still no answer. He was passed out on the bridge, unable to move as Barbara screamed every swear in the book at him for what he did to her. Michael was about to climb back up there and grab him, but a Follower's flashlight suddenly landed on him in the courtyard.

“There he is! Don't let him get away!!” One of them cried.

“Fuck!” Michael hissed, shoving both their phones in his pockets before making a dead sprint for it in the dark.

  
Geoff and Ray watched from the roof of the front gate as all hell broke loose down below. Michael was making a run for it dodging cultists. And Gavin was being dragged away by Barbara and her devotees into the Temple.

“Well this is just fuckin' great as dicks,” He sighed, “We can't go in there without being seen, _and_ my backup can't get past the front gate.”

Ray let out a pretend frustrated sigh, “Yeah, blows, man. If only _one_ of us had a tool that could help us escape...”

Geoff's eyes narrowed briefly as he lowered the binoculars from his face. “What do you want?”

Ray smirked and held up the wrist currently handcuffed to Geoff's. “Domino's pizza, and for you to take this off.”

He watched at the cop's mustached lips twisted to the side in thought. 

“...Alright, deal,” He said simply, “But if I do, you gotta do something for me.”

Ray furrowed a little as he thought about it. “Well...Can't say the roof is the most the most _romantic_ place in the world to give a blow job on—”

“No! Jesus!” Geoff let out, going back to look at the courtyard through his binoculars, “Something else entirely...”

Barbara stood there stone-faced as her hand was wrapped up, She glared directly at Gavin, now awake and guzzling down a glass of water that Lindsay got him after minutes of begging her leader. One of her younger followers continued to wrap her bleeding nub, Suzy watching carefully with worry etched on her face.

“My lady, you lost a dangerous amount of blood. We need to get you to a hospita—”

“No!” The blonde snapped, causing her followers to jump, “I'm fine! This is an inconvenience, nothing more!”

Bitterness and anger started roiling through her like a fiery inferno. It burned so hot, this anger. She couldn't stand it. Fate had claimed yet another part of her. She hated it. Hated it with every fiber of her being. If it were up to her, she'd have this cruel, ugly world destroyed. She'd rewrite fate and everything it encompassed.

And that's exactly what she would do.

She stared over at Gavin, her piercing eyes never leaving his as she walked up to him. “You're pleased with yourself now, but mark my words Second. My first act as God will be to end this wretched world.”

Gavin's hardened look immediately fell and went to desperate. “W-Wait! You can't! Michael lives here!”

Barbara's lips formed a sly smile.

“I've just had a lovely little idea,” She spoke, her tone bittersweet, “Let's use you as bait. If Michael really loves you, he won't hesitate. You'll know he loves you back, and then you get to watch him die before your eyes.”

* * *

 

Michael watched in the dark as he kept his body low in the dirt under one of the Temple's bridges. He could see the legs of the followers marching around, scouring the area for him with their flashlights. He took a much needed breath and got out both phones, turning their brightness to low as he checked both diary entries. He tried not to think about Barbara as he scrolled through the phones. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did when she double crossed them. He should have known better. This was a survival game, and everyone wanted to live. Everyone had their eyes on the prize. He swallowed hard and scrolled through the texts on Gavin's phone, blinking back the tears that threatened to seep out from the corners of his eyes.

 **5/05 8:10  
** **Michael is hiding under the main hall.  
** **Hang in there Michael!**

 **5/05 8:20  
** **Michael is hiding under the main hall.  
** **Just sit tight, boi.**

 **5/05 8:30  
** **Michael is hiding under the main hall.  
** **Hang in there until help arrives.**

 **5/05 8:40  
** **Michael is hiding under the main hall.  
** **Just a little longer.**

 **5/05 8:50  
** **Michael's been found. Run away Michael!**

' _Wow_ ', he thought to himself. Gavin's diary really was handy. For him, anyway. It was definitely considered stalking, but...in terms of the Survival game, it really did appear like Gavin actually cared for him. In his own, weird as hell way.

He started scrolling through previous entries and went back to the amusement park. Gavin called it a date, and was actually genuinely excited about it.

 **5/04 3:10  
** **Michael and I are going on a date.  
** **It's like a dream come true.**

 **5/04 3:20  
** **Michael's coming to pick me up.  
** **I wonder if he'll like my outfit.**

Texts like that went on throughout the whole day. How happy he was that he got a snack for Michael. How scared he was when he went through the haunted house, but happy because he had Michael there to protect him. Gavin was completely serious when he said he loved him, and whether Michael liked it or not, it turned out to be a good thing. Together, they managed to avoid two Dead Ends, and it was because of how much Gavin loved him.

The redhead swallowed hard, screwing his eyes shut as hot tears began to sting them. He wiped them away and took a deep, shaking breath. He couldn't puss out now. He had to go back.

He carefully started turning around and began crawling further into the dark, stopping as his hand suddenly landed on a strange, solid object.

“What the...”

* * *

“Wh-What are you doing?” Gavin asked, watching as Barbara was presented a small microphone by one of her followers. Her smile was as sly as ever, her blue eyes dark with mischief.

“I'm gonna draw out your man,” She remarked simply, relishing in Gavin's horrified look, “Now, you can't tell me you're not curious to see if this works.”

She stepped a little closer, looking only more intimidating as a sweet smile flashed across her pretty face. She held out her good hand and a knife was carefully placed into her palm. She gripped the blade tightly, looking down at the brunette as he struggled against his binds.

“Let's get his attention,” She said in amusement. One of the followers grabbed a handful of Gavin's shirt and held it out, allowing Barbara to cut a line right through it and have it yanked off of him. The brit's eyes widened and he immediately flinched, coiling up screaming “No!!” as Barbara stood up straight and tossed the knife away.

“I want all the men to form a line,” She instructed,taking a step back as her Male followers obeyed, “And not to worry, Ladies can have their turn once he's more broken in.”

Gavin started to flail against the several male hands that tried to keep him pinned. “No!!” He cried out, “Stop it! Please! NO!!”

Barbara held the mic up to her lips, smiling as her voice resonated through the courtyard speakers.

“ _Testing. One-two. Attention, First. There's about to be a fire sale on Second's cherry._ ”

“ _No!_ ” Gavin cried in the background, the sounds of struggling coming through on the mic, as Barbara continued on.

“ _Are you going to man up and try to intervene?_ ”

“Stop it!” Gavin begged, trying to kick away his attackers as they tugged at his pants. “Stop! I'm saving myself for Michael! Get off me!!”

Michael listened as Gavin continued to cry and beg for them all to stop. The redhead was shaking at this point. Not out of fear, not because he was scared...

Because he was angry.

And when Michael Jones got angry. He got fucking _angry_.

He pounded a fist in the dirt before scrambling out of his hiding place, pushing past the Followers who spotted him and yelled for him to stop. He wasn't going to stop, not until Gavin was safe, and every single fucker who laid their hands on him paid the price. All he could think about as he ran was Gavin and how he acted the park. Every gawky smile and squeaking laugh, the way he held Michael's hand and kissed his forehead. That Gavin needed him right now, more than ever. And that Gavin was the one he was hellbent on protecting.

He clambered his way up onto the bridge and booked it down the corridor. The thought of Gavin making his legs pump harder across the floor. He passed the bloodied Main Hall and grabbed an axe up off the floor. Not missing a beat as he followed the sounds of Gavin's voice.

  
“MICHAEL!!” Gavin screamed out, his jeans getting pulled off his legs and tossed away. He bucked and flailed around even harder, twisting every which way as one of the devotees started pulling at his boxer briefs. Right as they started sliding down past his hips, Michael burst through the the room swinging the axe around, making a beeline for Gavin and the men that had him pinned down.

“Get off of him!!” He roared, swinging the axe and managing to hit a guy in the shoulder, “Get the fuck off of him!! GET OFF!!”

The men who were holding Gavin immediately let go and scrambled over to Barbara's side of the room for safety. The priestess watched as Michael knelt down to Gavin's side, picking him up so he could sit up straight. He carefully wiped the tears off of Gavin's face with his thumbs, asking him over and over if he was hurt anywhere. The brunette only shook his head with trembling lips, shutting his eyes as more tears began spilling out. Michael wiped them away as quick as they came before turning to look bitterly over at Barbara and her followers.

The blonde woman's grip on her scroll grew tight, fear creeping up her spine at the death glare Michael was giving her. Still, she remained strong.

“You're more of a man than I thought you were, First. Nicely done.”

Michael didn't say a word. His grip on the axe in his hand only grew tighter. Barbara only stood a little straighter. She had the upper hand here.

“It was a really heroic display,” She opined, “A worthy sacrifice on my path to godhood. When I'm on the throne of time, none of this pain will matter.”

Michael suddenly dropped the axe and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small throwing knife Gavin had given him the first time they faced off against a Diary User together. Barbara only scoffed, stopping him as he started to take a step forward.

“Don't even bother,” She said firmly, letting one end of her scroll drop to the floor as it opened, “All of your movements are in here. There are more eyes on you in this room than possibly be evaded.”

“I know,” Michael replied, his tone quivery, yet still full of determination, “My diary says the same thing, more or less. But no Dead End's been triggered for me. Which means you haven't checkmated me yet.”

He took a step back and unzipped his hoodie, peeling it off and helping Gavin put it on as he sat knelt down on the floor.

“I still have options,” He stood back up straight, staring Barbara dead in the eye, “I choose to get out of here alive, _with_ Gavin. If you wanna change that, then give it your best fucking shot.”

“You idiot!” Barbara snarled, glaring daggers at him as he took a deep breath and started moving forward. The throwing knife was still in his hand, and her diary said as much.

Then something happened.

Michael reached into his other pocket and chucked something into the air. Everyone in the room looked up except her. The woman's blue eyes went wide and panic set in as her diary started to change. Her followers, they were all distracted by the same thing!

Michael suddenly bolted forward, and Barbara knelt down in a hurry.

“No,” She let out, her voice shaking in panic, “No don't touch my scroll!”

She reached down to gather it quickly—only to receive a cruel reminder of her missing hand from the bloodstained bandages wrapped around her stub. She let out a pained whimper that quickly fell short as the throwing knife landed smack dab on the open paper of her scroll. Just as it hit, the mysterious item fell to the ground and landed with a soft thud, letting out a small squeak that made Barbara gasp under her breath. She looked beside her and stared down at the little troll doll with the wild yellow hair. Her jaw dropped, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she stared at it's smiling face.

“Why on earth?” She said softly, “Of all the things...”

She stared down at her prized childhood toy and smiled a broken smile, the tears spilling out and running down her cheeks.

“Where have you been?” She asked, reaching out to take it.

Everyone in the room watched as she reached out for the toy with her missing hand. Just before she could touch it, the rest of her body suddenly started breaking apart and unraveling into little ribbons. The toy nor anyone else in that room moved a muscle as the priestess began swirling out of existence before disappearing entirely.

As soon as the room fell dead silent, Michael turned around sharply and knelt down, taking Gavin into a tight embrace.

“M-Michael,” He whimpered tears streaming down his cheeks as he broke down into a sob. Michael cupped his face and kissed under each of his eyes gently, and when Gavin’s eyes fluttered closed, he kissed his eyelids.

“I'm so sorry Gavin,” he said, trying to keep from crying himself as he took him into a tight hug, “I should have come sooner. I'm so sorry.”

* * *

 

The two of them sat in the back of Geoff's car, wrapped securely in shock blankets as a crime scene was built up around them. Michael looked out the window for a moment, out all the blue and red flashing lights, the ambulances, the body bags. The two of them managed to make it out alive today. They avoided yet another Dead End, and took another player out of the game.

He turned to look down at Gavin. He had his eyes closed, and a gentle smile on his face as he rested soundly on Michael's shoulder. He seemed okay now, but god knows what kind of damage it did to him. Who knows how any of what he did would effect him. Just thinking about it made him want to know even more: Who was Gavin Free? Who was he really?

Obsessive stalking, behavior switches, the bodies in his house, the willingness to kill without a second thought. How on earth was he supposed to react knowing all this? Run away? Simply take it in stride? This wasn't normal! None of this was...

Gavin let out a little sigh and snuggled into Michael's shoulder, smiling lightly. Michael stared down at him, unsure of what to feel right now...

Still, he gently cupped Gavin's face and tilted it up, placing a small kiss on his lips as a silent 'Thank you'.

Right as he did so, the screen on Gavin's phone fizzed out and the future rewrote itself.

 **7/28 9:10**  
**Michael and Gavin come together.**  
**\--H A P P Y  E N D--**


	7. IUUNO || SILENT MODE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Michael's mother comes home for a bit, Gavin knows this is his chance to make a great impression! However, the measures he takes to do so don't exactly line up with the law. Meanwhile, fallout from the Temple of Beacon incident continues.

Gavin was in high spirits as he walked over to Michael's house. Today was a big day for him. He showered, put on a nice button-up short sleeve and some chino shorts—He even got a little trim and styled his hair nice. He couldn't wait to see Michael's face, he was going to be so impressed. Thinking about it made him smile and hum as he approached the front of the Jones house. He walked over to the sliding door on the side and set down the duffle bag he was carrying along with him. He casually sung to himself as he opened the bag and got out a roll of shipping tape and a small mallet. He used the tape to mark an X on the glass, picking the spot closest to the indoor lock.

He was reaching the chorus of his song by the time he set aside the tape and picked up the mallet. He gave the spot where he marked a few hard taps as he hummed, watching as the glass let out a muffled crack and made a small hole. He carefully reached through the hole and unlocked the door, sliding it open with ease. He picked up his bag and stepped inside, growing even giddier by the second as he entered the family room.

He had so much in store for tonight, he couldn't wait to get started.

  
Michael had been waiting at the airport for what seemed like forever. He kept checking the time on his phone. She was over an hour late. He tried calling her a bunch of times, but her phone must've still been in Airplane Mode. He was about to go in there and check the flight boards, but then a slew of arrivals came pooling out the door. There was one woman running ahead of them all, pulling along a brown suitcase and carrying a bright blue backpack. The way she practically booked it out the door and started flailing her free arm around in Michael's direction, only one woman in the world could embarrass him like that.

“Oh god,” He muttered, watching as his Mom bolted across the street and practically tackled him into a hug.

“Michael!” She all but screeched out, hugging him so tight he made a noise.

“H-Hey De—Mom,” He grunted, screwing his eyes shut as his face was assaulted with little kisses. After kissing his forehead for the 50th time, she finally let go and made her way into the cab with him.

“About time you showed up, my clothes were going out of style,” Michael teased.

“Oh hush,” She said, immediately taking his face into her hands and inspecting him, “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Wha?” He asked through smushed cheeks.

“I finally got a letter from your school,” She explained, “I didn't even know Universities sent letters to parents anymore. Do you need anything?”

“I'm fine Mom,” He pulled his face away and rubbed his cheeks, his mom looking unconvinced, “I am! Honest.”

She looked at him seriously this time. “Baby, you went through a traumatic experience.”

“Yeah, I know,” He replied, avoiding her stare and looking out the window, “And I'd like it if you didn't bring it up right now.”

There was a brief pause between them. Michael just kept looking out the window, watching the cars and shops go by. Deep inside he was practically screaming at himself. There's so much he wanted to tell her. How could he, though? Where the hell would he start?

“Oh my darling boy,” She sighed, giving a half smile before patting his knee, “I'm just glad you're safe. If you need to talk at all, to me or to someone else—”

“Y-Yeah,” He interjected, sighing lightly before looking at her with a smile, “Thanks Mom.”

She smiled warmly at him, soaking in his mature image and wondering where her little rascal of a five-year old had gone. Oh, how time flies...

She perked up a little and decided to lighten the mood.

“So, how's school going?” She asked, nudging him in the shoulder to earn his attention, “I mean, I got your update in that e-mail forever ago that you were getting a C in Physics.”

“I brought it up to an A,” He answered, thinking back on what he did before all the craziness at school happened, “I brought all my grades up, actually...”

“There we go,” She chirped, linking arms with him and pulling him close, “See? I knew you could do it. Did your new achievements impress any ladies? Hmm?”

“N-Not really,” He answered, his stomach dropping at the thought of Gavin.

“Yeah? What about that one girl you had your eye on,” She thought about it for a second, “What was her name again? Sarah?”

“Lin—” His eyes went wide, turning his head quickly to see his mom's cheeky grin, “Wait, no one!”

“Aha!” She teased, poking his side, “I knew there was someone! Did you ask her out yet?”

He immediately regretted opening his mouth. “Mom, for the love of Christ, please drop it.”

“I will _not_ ,” She giggled, smiling at his embarrassed face, “But for your sanity's sake, I will for now. So! What do you want for dinner tonight? Should we fire up the grill? Cook up some burgers?”

“Sounds good,” He replied, smiling at the thought of eating one of her famous steakburgers. He looked back out the window as they continued to drive through downtown. “So how come you came home so early? I thought you had another couple of weeks in LA.”

Her link around Michael's arm suddenly loosened.

“Oh, uh,” Her bubbly attitude suddenly shifted and her smile faltered, “Something...kinda came up.”

Michael's brows knitted as he looked at her. She looked worried.

“Change of subject!” She chirped, flashing a bright, cheeky grin, “So, you haven't destroyed the house too much have you? With all your college parties?”

“Oh yeah, the house is wrecked,” He scoffed, “Don't even _think_ of looking in my bedroom.”

“You at least remembered to clean up all the condoms off the floor I hope,” She remarked, stifling a giggle as her son shook his head and muttered ' _christ'_ under his breath.

The ride home was kind of long, but the two of them had a lot to talk about. His Mom was in the middle of helping layout a video game that she swore was right up Michael's alley. When she described the story to him it sounded fun, but it also made Michael realize how much he missed playing actual games. It had been awhile since he even touched his Xbox.

“Home at last,” He heard his mom sigh. When he looked out he saw the car pull over and park right outside their house. The cab driver was quick to get out and help with the bags in the trunk. Michael paid the fare and gave him a little extra as a thank you. While he was doing that, his Mom stretched her arms high in the air and let out a heavy sigh in satisfaction. She couldn't wait to get inside and relax.

While Michael was busy with the bags, she opened the front gate and walked in. The yard was freshly mowed, flowers were still there, bushes unharmed. So far so good. She looked the house over with a smile, her eyes falling onto the sliding side door. He smile fell flat.

“Hey, Michael?” She called out, “You know I was kidding, right?!”

Michael walked up behind her with her suitcases in tow. “What?”

“I was kidding about the whole party thing,” She specified, pointing over to the glass door, “Why is there a hole in the window over there?”

Michael looked over to where she was pointing at. The door was still shut, but sure enough, there was a decent-sized hole in the window. His jaw immediately dropped.

“Oh _shit._ ”

“That was you, right?” She asked, her face falling as concern washed over her, “Please tell me that was you,”

“U-Uh,” He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, scrolling through the future texts as fast as he could.

“I'm uh...guessing that's a no,” His mom said slowly, looking back over at the door.

Michael's eyes roamed over the day's events in his phone, breezing past his lazy afternoon and the point where he picked his mom up from the airport.

**5/12 5:39 PM [My house, outside]  
Gavin broke into my house.  
Gavin's cleaning my room.**

“Oh _fuck_ —“ He let out.

“What?!” His mom whipped around, eyeing him after saying 'the forbidden word'.

“I-I mean, yeah! Oh—Oh my god, yeah, that was me,” He said quickly, tensing up as he tried to think of something quick, “I-I was playing _Gears_ downstairs, and I kinda went off after...losing...so bad...”

His mother stared at him for a moment, her expression a bit of a hard read. She simply stared at him and blinked. He couldn't tell if she was shocked or pissed off beyond all reason.

Whatever she was feeling, it would have to wait. There was something much worse than a broken window in the house right now, and he had to hurry before his Mom found out about him.

He gave her an awkward smile before brushing past her and making a beeline into the house. He tossed her bags next to the stairs and started booking it up steps, barely giving his mom time to make it to the doorway to talk to him.

“Michael!” She called after him.

“Sorry mom go on and get the meat ready I'll go wash up!” He said in one go.

“You and I are gonna have a serious talk about this anger thing after dinner!”

“That's fine!” He called back, practically sprinting over to his room and pushing open the door.

When he stepped inside he didn't even notice the folded blankets, the fluffed up pillows, or the stacked up comic books. All he saw was Gavin, in his room, knelt down on the ground, happily wiping down the wood floor with a rag.

The brunette looked up from his work and smiled brightly at Michael, sitting up straight with his hands in his lap. “Welcome back home, love!”

“Gavin, what the fuck are you doing?” Michael asked, his voice falling into a panicky hiss as he shut the door behind him, “Why the hell are you even here?!”

“Well what's it look like?” Gavin asked with a small chuckle, “I'm trying to make a good impression on your mum. We want her to like me, right?”

He bent back forward and continued to wipe down the floor, humming happily to himself as Michael stood there speechless. He wanted to impress his mom? By breaking into his house?!

“Gavin...” He breathed, unsure of what else to say. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't believe this was happening. The guy was dead serious. He cleaned the floors, scrubbed the windows, put new sheets on his bed. He even folded all of his clothes! It didn't look like his room anymore. It looked like Martha Stewart blew through here, only she forgot the vase of flowers and feminine-chic patterns.

Walking into the kitchen, his mother was thinking the very same. The smell of cooked meat, fresh herbs, and baked bread was light in the air. The stove was still on, some creamy light green soup was simmering in the pot, and the smell of fresh mint wafting into her nostrils. When she walked into the dining room the table was already set for three spots. A vase of fresh flowers was sitting in the very center. The napkins were folded nicely, the wine glasses were out, even the table setting was picture perfect—each utensil placed exactly where they should if it were a dinner party.

She had absolutely no words. Only one.

“Wow,” She said to herself, her jaw dropping at the sight of it. Michael _really_ must've wanted to get out of trouble for the door.

  
“You have to leave now Gav!” Michael hissed, rushing up to him and taking his arm.

Gavin looked up at him, his head tilting.“But I want to meet her.”

“You can't! I-I mean not—” He suddenly froze at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Terror overtook his face and he muttered a swear as he helped Gavin up off the floor.

“ _Hey, since when do you cook?_ ” He heard her muffled voice call out, “ _Last I checked you couldn't even boil water._ ”

Michael's stomach dropped. “Oh fuck—”

“This is the part where you tell me I look nice, Michael,” Gavin chirped, smoothing down some flyway hairs on his head. Michael barely glanced at him for a second before looking back at the bedroom door. His mind started racing a mile a minute as he heard his mom drawing closer. Gavin started to move, his whole face lighting up as he intended to open the door and greet her. Michael tugged him back, terror spiking inside him as he heard his mom call his name. He looked around the room for a split second before mentally screaming and dragging Gavin away from the bedroom door.

She knocked on his door lightly before opening it up, peeking in carefully for a second before stepping in. She fully expected the smell of BO and expired food to hit her like a ton of bricks. Instead, she was taken for a spin and met with the smell of lemon pledge and fresh linen. She didn't see dirty clothes and old Chinese food boxes littered everywhere like she expected. There were clean floors, neatly stacked books, folded blankets, and clean open windows to let the sunlight in.

She had absolutely no words. Only one.

“ _Wow_ ,” She breathed, taking a minute to really process that this was his room and not hers, “Y...You actually cleaned.”

She looked over at Michael who was leaning awkwardly on his closet door. An even more awkward smile was plastered on his face.

“Y-Yeah! Surprise!” He let out a forced laugh, “Did you get the meat out yet?”

Her brows suddenly raised. “Speaking of, did you really leave the stove on while you were out?”

Michael's smile fell. ' _Fuck._ '

“Uh, yeah,” He answered, mentally bracing himself for a lecture.

“You could've burned the house down! Are you nuts?!”

“Sorry,” He mumbled, “I'm still getting used to the whole cooking thing.”

He tensed up as she stepped in further, inspecting the room and looking completely blown away.

“I literally have no words,” She remarked, turning around to look at her son, “Who are you, and what have you done to my Michael?”

The redhead let out an awkward chuckle, still keeping his back pinned against the closet door.

Meanwhile inside, Gavin was reading his future diary, getting more and more excited by the second.

**5/12 5:40  
Michael is talking to his mum.  
Michael sounds like he's having fun.**

**5/12 5:50  
Michael is bonding with his mum.  
** **This is my chance to say hello!**

A bright grin stretched across the brunette's face. Michael's mother sounded like an angel, he just had to come out and meet her! He got up on his knees and crawled forward, pressing his hands up on the door and pushing.

“Let me out,” He mumbled, peaking up at Michael's panicked face through the sliver of open space. Michael turned around sharply and pressed down on the door, using all of his weight to keep it shut.

His mother raised a brow and glanced at him. “Was that a voice just now?”

“P-probably just my headphones,” He lied, “I was chatting on Xbox with some friends earlier.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she turned back around, looking out the window now clean with freshly washed curtains. Behind her Michael was struggling against the closet door, Gavin starting to push it apart with amazing strength.

“Let me out of here,” Gavin peeped a little louder.

“No!” Michael grit through his teeth, “Stay in there!”

“Son of mine,” His mother called softly.

“What's up?” He grunted, his eyes still on the closet as he used his shoulders this time to push against it.

“Care to tell me why you're arguing with your closet?”

“Whaaat,” Michael struggled a fake laugh, “Nobody's arguing! I'm just leaning here.”

“...Uh huh,” The woman's eyes narrowed, a knowing smile stretching across her lips as she walked forward, “Oh my darling boy. Trying _so_ hard to hide his little girlfriend.”

' _That's my cue!_ ' Gavin thought, looking down at his phone as it told him of Michael introducing him to his mother. He gripped his phone tight and giggled in excitement, ' _Time to push out and say “Hi ma'am!”_ '

He reached up and started pushing harder against the closet. Michael struggled even harder to keep it shut, this time having to work against Gavin's mutant strength, and his own mother pulling at his shoulder.

“Give it up kid!” She grunted, “The fight's over, I know she's in there!”

“Michael!” Gavin called, “Open the door!”

“Open the door!” His mom demanded at the same time.

The redhead didn't answer. He couldn't answer. He was slowly losing his grip. The door was starting to open. If his mom saw, then—

“Mom I have to change!!” He just shouted out, spinning around sharply and grabbing her by the shoulders. Before she even had time to blink she was being pushed across the room and shoved out the door with it slammed in her face. She jumped a little in shock, her eyes wide as tennis balls before anger flashed through her.

“Michael Vincent Jones I _KNOW_ you did not just do that! Oh! You are in for it now, boy!”

She started pounding on the door repeatedly, projecting loudly and firmly about how much hell was in store for him once the door was open. Michael still had his back planted against it, the redhead practically shaking as he felt her fist banging on the wood. He really fucked himself this time, he thought. His mom was usually good on her threats. That's one thing he learned early in life.

He shut his eyes and took a much needed breath. Calm. He needed to stay calm. When he opened his eyes again, Gavin was out of the closet and knelt down over by his bed. The storage drawer built underneath was wide open, his modest-sized stash of porn mags on full display. Gavin had one out and was casually looking through it, flipping the page to a woman with red hair and glasses touching herself on a bed. Michael's face immediately flushed red and he rushed forward.

“Wh-Why are you looking at those?!” He let out, pulling the magazine out and over his head.

“...Even better question, why am _I_ looking at it?” His mother sounded from behind him. She was currently face to face with a picture of a vagina. She reached up and pulled the magazine from his hands, rolling it up and pounding it in the palm of her hand. She stared at the horrified look on her son's face, then down to the answer as to what he was so desperate to hide.

“So, Michael. Darling. Light of my life,” She pointed the magazine over to the brunette sitting patiently on the floor, “Care to introduce me to your friend here?”

  
After a painfully awkward introduction (for Michael, anyway) Gavin sat the three of them down for a special dinner he made himself. He served up small bowls of peat & mint soup as an appetizer, which Mrs. Jones was amazed by and practically died after tasting. Then came the main course of Beef Wellington, and as a side, a big bowl of Watermelon and feta salad. Michael was amazed by all of it. When did he have the time to cook all this? How long was he in his house?!

“Here you are, ma'am,” Gavin chirped, carefully setting down a plate for Mrs. Jones as she poured herself a glass of wine. Michael felt a little on edge. It may have just been his accent, but the way he said 'ma'am' sounded an awful lot like 'mom'.

“Here Michael,” Gavin served him a healthy portion along with a bottle of his favorite beer freshly chilled.

“So, Gavin Free,” Mrs Jones quoted, eyeing the guy up and down before grinning, “Mercy, how incredibly adorable are you?!”

A faint blush crept up on the guy's cheeks as he flashed a shy smile. That only made Michael's mom smile wider.

“Why anyone would want to keep a guy like this a secret from their mother is beyond me,” She said, looking over at Michael before looking back at Gavin's shy expression, “Oh, just look at his face!” She took a small sip of her drink before taking a bite out of her meal. She smiled warmly and sighed through her nostrils, relishing in the taste of meat mixing with the wine Gavin had brought.

“Divine,” She gushed, taking another hearty sip before setting her glass down, “So, Gavin, two questions: where in the UK are you from? And where on _earth_ did you learn how to cook?”

“A small town in Oxfordshire called Thame,” He answered, flashing a smile and a light laugh, ”And admittedly _lots of_ practice. You should see my first three tries with the beef.”

Mrs. Jones chuckled lightly and took another bite, her smile still bright at she hummed in happiness.

“Well a job well done my dear, very impressive,” She picked up some of the salad with her fork and took a bite, “The side is delicious too. Who knew watermelon and feta could go so well together.”

“M-My Gran used to make it all the time in the summer for her friends,” The brunette peeped, watching intently as Michael's mother continued to gush over the meal in front of her.

Meanwhile Michael was screaming on the inside. Here he was, sitting at dinner with his Mom and his stalker. The two of them bonding. This may have been the worst day of his life.

“I know a home-ec prodigy when I see one,” He heard his mom chirp with her mouth still slightly full.

Gavin looked touched, his smile bright. “Thank you!”

Michael had to hold back from letting out a groan. Instead he picked up his small soup bowl and put it to his lips, taking a drink. His brows raised in surprise. It was actually really good. Very refreshing. The taste of mint was light, but complimented the taste of cream and the faint sweetness from the peas. He licked his lips a little as he set the bowl down, immediately tensing when he looked over at Gavin and saw the guy staring right at him. He gave small smile, letting him now it was good without saying a word. The brunette smiled back, looking both relieved and thankful. Michael brought the bowl back up to his lips and started sipping as his mom continued the light conversation.

“This family could use a guy like you,”

Michael nearly choked on his soup. He set it back down and coughed a little.

Gavin's cheeks started to turn a faint pink as he looked at her. “Y-You think?”

She nodded firmly. “Oh definitely! I mean Michael's good on a grill, but that's about it. Come winter time and he's completely hopeless on a stove.”

“Mom!”

“What?! It's true,” She said with an amused laugh, taking a final sip before pouring herself another glass, “Your friend here could probably teach you a thing or two. Oh! You know who you could spoil rotten with these meals? That girl Lin—“

“Mom!” Michael interjected, staring at her with wide eyes, “Mogar.”

His mom frowned. “What?”

“Mogar!” He grit through his teeth, his eyes flicking over towards the kitchen before he got up.

“Okay, okay,” She said, smiling over at Gavin as she got up with her glass, “One second, hon.”

  
''Mogar” was a code word they'd been using since Michael was in middle school. It was both a distress call, a warning, and a sign that they needed to have a serious meeting in the food pantry, stat.

“Don't talk about her,” Michael said firmly as he shut the pantry door behind them and turned on the light.

His mom furrowed at him. “Who?”

“Lindsay!” He snipped, his voice going quiet.

“What? Why not?" She whispered back, "I'm just making conversation.”

“Because! Just don't!” He hissed.

His mother blinked at him for a second before straightening up a little, her brows slowly raising. “... _Oh._ ”

The redhead frowned at her. “Oh?”

She smiled a cheeky smile. “Michael...”

He immediately caught on. “Mom, no—”

“I had no idea,”

“Mom!'

“Of course,” She gushed quietly, “Why else would he be cooking for you!”

Michael put his head in his hands, “Oh, Christ—”

“Language,” She said quickly, looking at her son with a soft smile as she put a hand to her heart, “Michael...”

“Mom, do not say _anything_ to Gavin about Lindsay,” He whispered sharply.

“Oh my god, of course of course,” She said quickly, a burning question clear on her face, “...So do you like him back?”

“Oh my god,” Michael groaned.

“Michael! The boy cooked a _gourmet meal_ for you,” She pressed, “I'd be over the moon if a guy did that for m—”

She paused for a second. Her jaw dropped and she let out a light gasp. Michael immediately shook his head.

“Mom, _no_ ,”

“You _do_ ,” She said lowly, pointing a knowing finger at him, “That's why you hid him from me! You didn't want me to know!”

“Mom!” He hissed.

“The Lindsay thing was just to throw me off!” She hissed back, “O-Or maybe you do like her, but—There's something there for him. I can see it.”

Michael stared at her firmly before rolling his eyes with a sigh. “...I-I don't know...maybe. It's weird—”

He jumped a little as his mom let out a light squeal and clapped quietly in place.

“Oh my god!” She whispered, “This is so great. My baby has a boyfriend!”

“I don't,” He expressed.

“My baby _might_ have a boyfriend,” She corrected excitedly, taking her son's arm, “Have you guys gone out yet?”

Michael was immediately regretting this. “...Once.”

She started squealing and clapping in place again. Michael quickly stopped her.

“Shhh!”

“Sorry! Sorry,” She whispered, rejoicing a little quieter, “I'm just so excited you like someone. And someone so cute too! I mean seriously Michael, he can cook _and_ he's british, the girls in my yoga class are gonna have an aneurysm—”

“Mom!” He hissed sharply.

“Okay okay, I won't say anything,” She whispered back with a firm nod, putting the wine glass to her lips, “Maybe take the bottle away from me, cut me off after this glass.”

“Yeah okay fine,” He said quickly, ushering her back out to the dining room. When the two of them stepped back in, Gavin wasn't in his seat. He wasn't anywhere to be found, and Michael immediately thought the worst. Sure, he could have stepped out to go to the bathroom, or to take a phone call of some kind...

Or maybe he caught on about his secret crush and went to go stab her senseless with a kitchen knife.

Michael swallowed hard as he sat down, his stomach twisting in knots as his mother called out Gavin's name.

No answer. After a few seconds, Michael called his name. No answer.

Thus, the redhead thought the worst.

He immediately got out of his seat and pulled out his phone. “I'm gotta whizz real quick.”

He didn't give his mom time to respond before he was out of the dining room and zipping his way towards the front door. Just as he was about to reach for the knob, the door opened up and nearly knocked into him. The redhead took a few startled steps back and watched as Gavin stepped in with a large cake Tupperware in his hands.

“Oh, hi Michael,” He looked confused for a second before smiling brightly at him, “I went to get dessert from the car. Forgot it like an idiot.”

Michael looked down at the Tupperware in his hands before looking back up at him.

“You all done chatting with your mum?” The brunette asked.

“Y-Yeah,” He answered, holding a hand out to stop him as he started walking, “Hey, um...dinner was delicious by the way.”

Gavin blinked at him for a second before his smile grew shy.

“Really?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah,” He said honestly.  
Gavin's bottom lip curled between his teeth as he smiled, a small giggle rolling in his throat before he leaned forward and planted a quick peck on the redhead's cheek. The gesture was a little awkward, but it made Michael's heart skip nonetheless.

“We better hurry back,” Gavin spoke, giving the redhead a little wink, “Your mum might think we're foolin' around in the bathroom.”

  
When they got back into the dining room, Michael's mom was still sitting patiently in her seat. A cheeky smile was plastered on her face, her eyes narrowing she watched them sit down next to each other.

“You two were gone for a bit,” She quipped, taking another gulp from her wine glass. Gavin set down the Tupperware in the center.

“Sorry, I forgot to grab dessert,” He remarked, “This is another recipe from my Gran. Very special. Prosecco Jelly.”

He lifted the top to reveal a [jello dessert](http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/uncategorised-recipes/prosecco-jelly/#1ePK5By1G17pmtKy.97) that made both Michael and his Mother's jaws drop. Inside the clear, jiggling treat was a burst of colorful fruits from peaches to blueberries, along with gold leaf and edible flowers. It was delicately topped with fresh flowers and candied violets, and placed on it's side was a small bowl of fresh whipped cream.

Mrs. Jones nearly dropped her glass. Michael just looked over at the guy in shock.

“Gavin,” He breathed, “ _Holy shit._ ”

“Yeah,” His mother spoke with a nod, “Gavin, this is...this is amazing. You made this?”

The brunette gave a nod. “With lots of trial and error, yeah,” He said with a chuckle. He carefully cut up the dessert and served them out with dollops of whipped cream. Mrs. Jones was in high heaven as she ate.

“It's official, If I don't hear wedding bells by graduation, I'm adopting you,”

Gavin simply chuckled and blushed while Michael groaned and let his head fall into his hands.

“Son of mine,” She called, earning Michael's attention. A cheeky smirk stretched across her lips, the wine swirling around in her glass as she moved it, “Birds and bees time. If you haven't already, seal the deal!”

“Mom!”

Gavin let out another laugh, Michael's cheeks burning bright red as the two of them continued to drink and joke around.

* * *

Three days after the Beacon Incident, Ray finally managed to see a legit doctor. Well, legit as they come, anyway. Gus Sorola did his best to act clean and work in the light. He had a wife, a loving family, and a new building to work in.

Every now and then though, Ray would be there to drag him back. Today was no different. He inspected Ray's eye socket carefully, his bushy brows raising in surprise.

“Damn. He definitely yanked it out like a pro.”

“You gonna start referring patients to him?” Ray sassed, shutting his left eye as Gus finished his examination.

“Yeah, take _that_ tone,” The doctor sat him up and handed him a small box from his pocket, “Here. Same color and everything.”

Ray opened it up and looked down to see a single prosthetic eye staring back up at him. He took it and carefully placed it in his eye socket, shifting it around a few times to get it in the right position.

“You're probably gonna look a little wall-eyed until you get the hang of it,” Gus warned, “So, who was it that bested King BrownMan?'  
“Shut up,” He snipped, blinking a few times before putting his glasses back on, “They're dead now. Doesn't matter.”

He zipped his purple hoodie back up and looked to his left. Sitting outside in the waiting room were a bunch of little kids.

“When'd you go kid clinic?” He asked. Gus looked over to the waiting area where 4 little ones, 3 boys and a girl, were playing with toys. His face grew solemn.

“Sad story, actually,” He explained, “You're looking at the real casualties of the Beacon massacre. Most of them probably saw their parents die.”

Ray watched as the little boys played with blocks and toy cars. The only girl was playing with hand puppets by herself. “They were in the shrine?”

“Child Welfare wants me to evaluate them for foster placement,” He explained, smirking lightly, “You know this is a legit doctor's office, two-thirds of the time anyway.”

Official word on the cult's death was mass suicide; which wasn't exactly a hard sell. Especially since the truth puts all their blood on the hands of an axe-wielding british twink with some serious mental issues. Ray let out a heavy sigh and took the bag of pain meds and cleaner that Gus gave him before leaving. As he exited the office and walked through the waiting room, the little girl with the puppets looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, feeling a little unnerved at how cheery she looked as her puppet waved to him.

* * *

“Oh wait! Check out this one,” Ms. Jones giggled pointing down to a picture of baby Michael in the bath. Gavin smiled brightly, his voice going soft and pitched as he continued awing at the photos.

“Look at him,” He gushed, “Look at those li'l cheeks!”

“Can you believe he was ever that small?” Michael's mother gushed, taking another sip of her drink, “Or not such a royal pain in the butt?”

Gavin let out a chuckle, taking a sip of his own drink as she flipped the page, “He's not all bad.”

“Oh, defending him now, are we?” She let out a laugh and playfully patted his arm, Gavin laughing as well.

Michael listened their drunken chatter from the TV room, scrolling through his phone out of boredom. Humilation was weighing heavily on him, but stopping her was an uphill battle. Once his mom started drinking with company over, there was no stopping the embarrassing stories.

He cringed as she let out a shrill laugh, causing Gavin to laugh more.

“This was his first ever swimming lesson,” She spoke, pointing down to baby Michael on all fours in mini inflatable pool. He was stark naked and smiling as he splashed at a little toy duck in the water. The picture made Gavin aw even longer.

“Awww!” He gushed, laughing at he pointed to Michael's little bum, “Look at _those_ cheeks!”

Michael listened as his mom let out another laugh. The two of them sounded like they were having the time of their lives. He furrowed as he scrolled through his phone, checking out his future diary entries.

**5/12 6:15 [Home, dining room]  
Mom likes Gavin's cooking.  
They've really hit it off.**

**5/12 7:34 [Home, dining room]  
Mom and Gavin are looking at a photo album.**

Michael immediately dropped his phone and bolted in there, knowing full well just what photo album she was showing off. Just as they were getting to the album of the chicken pox disaster (as Michael called it, anyway) the redhead took the wine away and ushered them both into the living room to sit down and hopefully sober up. Gavin took a seat down next to Michael on the couch, Michael's mom taking a seat on the armchair and laying back with a satisfied sigh. She asked Gavin a few questions about school and what his major was, and the brunette was happy to answer them. He skated around any questions about his immediate family really, but he did talk a great deal about his Grandparents and how great they were.

* * *

“ _The next melee should be intriguing_ ,” Deus spoke, watching the three on screen as they all sat in the living room talking.

Ose was busy stewing up some vegetables in a hotpot on the floor, paying little to no attention at all to what was happening with the Everyday Life of a Diary User.

“There's so many Future Diaries out there,” He mused thoughtfully, “Different shapes and sizes, each one possessing a different power. Every one's unique, like the Users.”

“ _Uniqueness of character was my chief criterion when selecting participants_ ,” The entity said simply.

“Makes whoever's gonna become God anyone's guess,” The demon chirped as he watched the various veggies cook, “The game can't end until a single soul is picked...”

Deus looked away from the throne, eyeing the little boy as he served himself a bowlful and got out a fork.

“In theory,” He said as he popped a cooked mushroom in his mouth, “The game could go on forever, couldn't it?”

The God of time looked back at the screen, saying nothing.

“Nine out of Twelve are still standing,” Ose said simply, turning to look up at the God with a smile, “Fingers crossed that you can hold out until the lucky winner steps up.”

Again, the God said nothing. They only watched the screen as the game continued to unfold. The little demon's black eyes fluttered down to Deus' long, slender fingers. They started to crack like glass.

“These guys piddle around anymore, and you'll turn into humpty dumpty...”

* * *

Eventually as it grew late, the living room fell into a comfortable silence before Michael's mother spoke up.

“Oh Michael, I meant to tell you something,” Her sated smile fell into to one of concern, “Work's given me paid leave for the next 3 days.”

Michael looked up from his phone. “Something wrong?”

“Well, uh, did you guys by any chance hear about that nutty suicide cult?” She asked. Instantly Gavin and Michael were listening, looking over at her with hints of worry on their faces. She swallowed lightly. “Turns out one of my co-workers was a member. You remember Shanita Roberts, right Michael?"

Michael thought about it a little. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't put a face to it. "Uh...Kinda."

"Well, she left behind a daughter," His mom explained, the worry still etched on her face, "I offered to let her stay here for a bit while the company helps arrange things long term...”

“How old is the daughter?” Gavin asked.

“4 or 5 I believe. She's a real sweetie,” She finished off the last of her tea and stood up straight, trying to shake off all the negativity for now and instead flash the two boys a smile, “Well, best get ready for bed Gavin! It's too late to let you walk home.”

Michael's stomach instantly dropped. “M-Mom I don't think that's a—”

“Thank you so much, ma'am,” Gavin chirped, giving her a bright smile.

And just like that, Gavin was sleeping over. While Gavin was busy taking a shower, Michael's mother set up an air mattress along with a blanket and pillows in Michael's room. The redhead protested the entire time, but his mother just took it in stride and teased him.

“I only ask that you two keep it down tonight,” She insisted, giving her son a cheeky wink before getting up to leave, “Alright! Have fun storming the castle!”

Michael let out an exasperated groan as she shut the door behind her. Not a second later though, she opened it back up with a smile.

“And remember to use lots of lube, and keep that rascal wrapped!”

Michael chucked a pillow right at her and watched as it smacked the door as she left.

  
Meanwhile Gavin was busy getting ready to step into the shower. He shed off his clothes and left them over by the basket next to him. When he stepped in and turned on the water, he let out a small sigh in happiness. He felt his muscles unwind and relax at the feel of the hot water pattering down on him. The feel of the steam rising and surrounding him, it was all so nice. His thoughts began to wander as he was washing his hair, but he was quickly brought back as he heard the door open and saw a shadow standing in front of the frosted glass door.

“Gavin sweetie,” He heard Michael's mother call, “I'm leaving a fresh towel for you on the vanity, okay?”

Gavin smiled lightly, shutting his eyes as he washed the shampoo out of his hair and face. “You're the toppest mum ever,” He called back.

“Feel free to use my body wash too if you want,” She offered, the smile clear in her voice, “Trust me, it's like giving your skin a dress rehearsal for the post-party afterglow.”

Gavin chuckled lightly, “Okay.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke up again. “One more thing, hon.”

“Yes ma'am?” He asked.

“...Take good care of my boy, huh? He's worth it,” Behind the door she was giving a little nervous smile before stepping away, “Right, well, that's all. Good night!”

Inside Gavin had stopped moving. His head was bowed over, letting the water beat down on his neck and cascade down his back and face. He stared down at the floor through the ringlets of his wet hair, watching as water swirled down the drain.

“She's such a good mum,” He mumbled, thinking briefly of the corpses in his own home. He reached out and turned off the water, shutting his eyes as he swiped back his wet bangs.

When he opened them back up, they were wide and manic, the image of that room now on the forefront of his mind. He sat down on the shower floor and brought his knees up to his chest, his head falling as he rocked slightly in place.

  
When Gavin finally made it back to Michael's room, Michael turned off the light without a word and buried himself in his blankets. He didn't know why, but he was nervous beyond all belief.

Well, he did know why. He was sleeping in the same room as his stalker, who was no doubt living the dream and looking at him right now.

If Michael had lifted the blankets, he would have been right. Gavin was watching him right now, a warm smile on his face.

Michael tried not to think about it. He just shut his eyes tight, and tried falling asleep to the steady sounds of his ticking clock.

“Michael,” Gavin whispered out into the dark.

Michael didn't answer. He just shut his eyes harder.

“Michael,” Gavin called again, sitting up this time, “Are we gonna shag?”

“No!” Michael whispered sharply, sitting up straight and looking at him, “Why the fuck would we?!”

Gavin simply blinked at him, his bottom lip jutting out slightly, “Why not, Michael? Your mum said it was okay.”

Michael could feel his cheeks growing warm. “Because I'm not—!” He started flubbing on his words. Just the thought of them together. He took a deep breath, “L-Look, Gav, you're nice, but I'm—I'm not into you like that. _At all._ I li—”

“Give it time,” Gavin said simply with a shrug. Michael frowned.

“What?”

“You're gonna fancy me soon,” He remarked, a gentle smile on his face. Though the brit couldn't see it, Michael's eyebrow arched up.

“Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?”

Gavin sat back a little and reached under his pillow to pull out his phone. He unlocked the screen and held it up to show Michael.

“On the 28th of the July, you and I become lovers,” He explained. Michael leaned in a little closer to read it. Sure enough, there it was written in Gavin's future.

 **7/28 9:10  
Michael and Gavin come together.  
** **\-- H A P P Y  E N D --**

“It's fine if you wanna change it or not,” He said, holding his phone to his heart as a blush crept up on his cheeks, “But it's my happy ending too. On July 28th it happens....”

Michael felt his whole face burn red as Gavin looked away in shyness, his phone still close to his heart.

“Michael, if...If it helps, consider it a challenge...”

The redhead didn't respond. He just stared at the brunette, his heart racing a mile a minute. When Gavin looked up at him he panicked and buried himself back into the blankets.

“Going to sleep now!” He announced, hiding his face deep into his pillows. He couldn't imagine it. Him and Gavin. The two of them together. Sure, Gavin was kinda gawky. And the way he smiled and tripped over himself half the time was actually kind of cute...And the more he thought about it, the more he found himself thinking of all the little things he did that made Michael's heart race.

But he quickly screwed his eyes shut and mentally yelled at himself to snap out of it.

Later on in the night, Michael had finally fallen asleep. Gavin was still awake, staring across at his open duffel bag with wide, unblinking eyes.

“ _I'm so glad my man has such a lovely, understanding mum,_ ” He thought to himself, staring right at the kitchen knife resting on top of his clothes, “ _And here I thought I'd have to get ugly with her..._ ”

* * *

Michael woke up the next morning to the sound of a car door slamming shut outside.

“Here we are, kiddo! Whatcha think?” He heard his mom's voice say.

“Wow!! It's so big!!” He heard someone else squeal.

Michael blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes before sitting up, pulling the window curtain aside to see a little girl down below, standing outside his mom's car.

“Wait at the front for me, will you sweetie? I gotta park the car,” She instructed.

The little girl nodded her head firmly with a cheery “Okay!” and waited there obediently as the car pulled off.

  
Gavin and Michael stood on the porch as Ms. Jones came walking up with the child. The first thing Michael noticed was how bright and big her eyes were. Such a pretty shade of brown. She had freckles peppering her dark skin and a bush of kinky brown curls that stuck out from under her frog hat. She looked like a little doll, almost as doll-like as the hand puppets she had on each hand. Ms. Jones knelt down and gently patted the little girl's back.

“This is the little lady I was telling you guys about,” She said, looking over at the small child, “Sweetie, can you tell them your name?”

The little girl smiled a bright toothy smile and held up the male puppet to Michael.

“I'm Maikea Louise Roberts!” She chirped, “What's _your_ name, big bro?!”

Michael couldn't help but smile back. She was so cute. “Hi, I'm Michael.”

She held up the female puppet towards Gavin. “What do I call you, other big bro?!”

Gavin smiled as well. “Aw, hi. My name's Gavin,”

“Face hug!” She cheered, mashing the two puppet's faces together. Ms. Jones raised her brows and laughed.

“Oh! The kid's good,” She stood back up and gently ushered the three of them along, “Let's head inside. I'll show you the house and cook up some lunch.”

After a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup, the four of them sat around in the living room. Maikea was sitting at the coffee table surrounded by a mess of crayons and colorful paper. She was hard a work drawing a picture of some kind. When Michael leaned over to see it, he smiled lightly. The kid was a natural. It was actually really good.

“That's amazing,” He praised, earning a toothy smile in return.

“Aww, Gavin look! It's you!” Ms. Jones giggled from her spot on the arm chair. “I can tell from here. Nice job, sweetie.”

Maikea looked up from her drawing and grinned. “It's a picture of the one I love!” She chirped in excitement, picking up the scissors and cutting around it.

“Uh oh,” Ms. Jones said with a laugh, “Looks like you might have a rival, Michael.”

“No competition there, Ms. Jones,” Gavin assured with a giggle.

Michael's smile faltered a little as the child continued to draw. She was pretty chipper for having just lost her parents. Then again, maybe no one had told her yet. Deep down he really hoped that the kid didn't know, or would ever now that her parents killer was sitting directly across from her. It was kind of fucked up, now that he thought about it.

The little girl stood up with the cut-out drawing in one hand and the scissors in the other. She smiled brightly and started making her way around the table, running straight towards Gavin with an excited huff.

“Gavin! Gavin! Gavin!” She chirped out, yelping as her socks slid on the wood flooring and she toppled over right into him. Michael almost let out a swear and stood straight up, his face going white as a sheet in horror when he saw the scissors disappear into Gavin's body.

“Gavin!!” He let out.

“Gavin are you okay?!” Ms. Jones yelped, standing straight up from her own seat.

The brunette didn't say anything at first. He didn't even flinch. “...I'm alright,” He answered after some time.

Maikea scrambled off of him and got to her feet, looking at Gavin with an upset expression. Michael stepped a little closer to look at him.

“I'm okay, honest,” He assured, looking over at Michael with a weak smile as he held up the pillow he had resting on his lap, “The cushion's another story though. Oops.”

Michael stared down at the huge hole torn the pillow's center and swallowed hard. That could've been Gavin's stomach.

“You're okay? You're absolutely sure?” Ms. Jones asked.

Gavin looked back at her and nodded. “I'm fine ma'am, honest. They didn't even graze me.”

The woman let out a sigh of relief, her maternal side coming out in full force as she looked over at Maikea.

“Honey, you have to be careful,” She said firmly to the little girl, “Never run with scissors again. You could have really hurt Gavin.”

“I promise,” She whimpered, setting the scissors back down on the table. She stepped forward and gave Gavin an apology-hug before letting go. Gavin forgave her easily and smiled at her. She sniffled a little and wiped her eyes, giving him a weak smile back before walking over to the nearby bathroom. “I have to go potty now.”

“Do you need help?” Michael's mother asked.

She shook her head no as she walked in and shut the door. “I'm a big girl.”

She hit the lock and walked over to the toilet, pulling down the lid to take a seat and start sifting through her backpack. She pulled out her stuffed rabbit and smiled at it, tucking it under her arm before digging further in and pulling out a coloring book.

“Gavin Free,” She said to herself, opening it up and staring at the drawings of what was to come. Her brown eyes narrowed and her lips pursed in frustration. “This one's gonna be a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [beginning of Fergie's 'London Bridge' intensifies]  
> [](http://i47.tinypic.com/2nlb974.jpg)


	8. CERES || ANSWERING MACHINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all out war at Michael's house now that the Fifth has been revealed. As Michael searches for Maikea's diary, Gavin recommends a more direct approach. But Maikea isn't an opponent to be underestimated - even if she is only five years old.

“Gavin Free,” Maikea hummed, looking down at her stuffed bunny, “Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.”

“ _Aw, don't worry_ ,” She squeaked, changing her voice as she bobbed her bunny's head up and down, “ _You can take them down easy! You're the best!_ ”

“Right?” Maikea chirped, nodding as she held up her male puppet friend.

“ _But don't let your guard down,_ ” He warned, “ _First and Second can use their diaries in tandem. You won't get the drop on 'em that easy. They've already taken down 3 diary owners together! Also!”_

Her puppet friend pointed down to her diary and she opened it up, staring down at 3 separate drawings of what she did today on the pages.

“ _Your diary's a big fat joke!”_ He whined, _“I mean, it's a picture diary for crying out loud! It only shows 3 entries a day: morning, afternoon, and night.”_

“ _That gives you 3 chances a day!”_ Bunny chirped.

“Michael Jones and Gavin Free,” She sighed, “I gotta find a way to kill these two lovebirds with one stone. Mommy and Daddy must be avenged...”

She slipped her diary back into her book-bag and pulled out a small kit, an amused smile cracking across her lips before she broke into a full blown snicker.

“Who am I kidding? I don't give a shit about them,” She sneered to herself, opening up the kit to see two empty syringes and a decent-sized bottle of methotrexate injection.“This is about the ultimate game. And I plan to be the ultimate winner.”

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around, and much to the little girl's delight, Gavin decided to stay over. While the two guys were busy playing video games in the living room, Ms. Jones was busy getting the meatloaf and mashed potatoes ready. Mikea's job was the salad, and she was more than eager to help out. She sang to herself the entire time, mixing the cucumbers Ms. Jones had chopped with some lettuce in 3 separate bowls. While the woman was busy at the stove, she smiled and bobbed her head, listening contently to Maikea's sweet little voice as she sung.

“Walk around the circle. Walk around the circle. Walking, walking...”

Ms. Jones smiled and bent over to check the inside of the oven. Little did she know that behind her back, that sweet little girl had a syringe in her hand, and she was injecting a couple of plump little cherry tomatoes with poison.

“Walk around the circle, walk around the circle, walking, walking, we all fall down...”

After helping Ms. Jones set table, Maikea practically shrieked in excitement that lunch was ready.

“Gavin! Michael! Lunch time!!” She let out, placing the special salads in the seats directly across from her. Michael's mother was about to take a seat in one of them, but she insisted that she wanted to sit across from her big brother and the man she loved. The woman obliged with a loving smile and sat at the very end, waiting patiently as the two guys finally walked in after pausing their game. They took a seat directly across from the little girl and she couldn't help but grin. The plan was officially in motion.

Michael looked down at the big meal with raised brow. “Whoa, we got enough food or what?” 

Maikea grinned even wider at him. “I made the salad!”

Ms. Jones looked at her with a smile. “Our budding little sous-chef here was a big help in the kitchen, weren't you?”

“Suck up,” Michael teased, smiling as the little girl playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Just before Michael could retaliate, his Mother's phone rang and she quickly got up to go take it.

“Gotta take this one, gang. Go ahead and start without me.” She chirped, walking into the other room. Maikea watched from the corner of her eye as she left.

‘ _Perfect._ ’ The kid thought, holding back a little smirk. She watched as Michael's fork hovered over his salad before diving in.

“So, uh, what brought you to our place, short stuff?” He asked, picking at the lettuce a little.

“My mommy and daddy are working for a long time!” She chirped, her eyes going from his bowl to his face. She smiled extra wide, lowkey pulling a fast one, “They didn’t want me to be lonely, so they sent me to live with Auntie J until they come back!”

Michael nodded lightly in response, trying to push down the little pang of guilt in his stomach. Maikea's eyes went back down to his bowl as he picked up a cucumber with his fork and ate it.

‘ _No, not that one, dumbass._ ’ She thought, her attention going over to Gavin as he scooped up one of the tomatoes. He stared at it intently, his eyes narrowing as he balanced the little fruit and let roll back and forth on his fork. Michael gave the guy a weird look as he stuck one with his own fork, watching in distraction as he brought it to his mouth.

Maikea couldn't help but grin even more and Gavin caught it. He reached out and took Michael's wrist, stopping him from putting the tomato in his mouth.

“Wait, something's wrong,” He spoke, looking at the strange face Michael was giving him, “This tomato's all dodgy.”

Michael blinked at him. “What?”

“It's heavier than when I washed it,” He explained.

“You're kidding, right?” The redhead scoffed, his smile faltering as Gavin gave him a serious look. “It's probably just water retention?”

“Don't be cheeky, I'm telling you something's wrong,” He reached over and grabbed Michael's bowl, taking both of their salads towards the trash can, “You shouldn't eat it. Better safe than sorry.” 

Maikea tried hard to hide the annoyance from showing up on her face. Instead she just continued to smile, watching as Gavin walked past her without a word.

‘ _Observant little minx, aren’t you?_ ’ She thought. As soon as he walked past he shot her a slight glare before placing their dishes in sink. Michael watched from the table, still slightly dumbfounded.

“Jesus, I thought my mom was paranoid,” He mumbled, furrowing as his phone let out a static noise. He pulled it out just as the screen suddenly glitched out and changed. His jaw slightly dropped. The diary rewrote itself. Why'd it do that?

* * *

After lunch was done, Maikea left the kitchen and started making her way down the hall. The smile never left her face. Second was on high alert, that much was clear. But what about First? He still seemed fairly oblivious. Kinda stupid, even. An easy kill. She wouldn't be able to get to him though until she took out his little English boyfriend. It was just as well, Second seemed like more fun anyhow.

A strong hand suddenly placed itself on her shoulder and she perked up. She looked down at the floor as a tall shadow consumed hers, the person responsible towering over her.

“Hope you're not mad at me for tossing out the salad you made,” Gavin remarked, sounding genuine as he apologized, “I know you put a lot of work into it. Sorry.”

The little girl turned around and smiled, looking up at him with happy doe-like eyes. “It's okay. You didn't want anyone to get a tummy ache!”

“Well, it's kind of my thing to look after people I care about,” He said, staring at her with something strange behind his steely green eyes and misleading smile, “That's why I'm gonna keep a close eye on you.”

“Thank you,” She chirped simply, receiving a gentle pat on the head as Gavin giggled.

“So adorable,” He muttered, stepping away to head back into the kitchen to clean up. Maikea stood there in the middle of the hall, not saying a word as she stared at the back of Gavin's head. Slowly, a giggly feeling grew in the pit of her stomach and she cracked a smirk. She went from to looking straight-faced to completely unhinged within seconds, her eyes going as wide as her smile as her whole body shook.

“Oh, he is _GOOD!_ ” She thought to herself, trying everything in her power to keep from laughing out loud, “Now I  _know_ I'm in love!”

And she had the perfect way to show him. She decided on expressing this new, exciting, electrical feeling of love by drawing a nice warm bath for him. To really get the point across, she had a couple of stripped wires ready and waiting. She even secretly threw a bagful of table salt in the water to boost the conductivity. Watching the hot water stew and steam made her smile wide, the butterflies erupting in her stomach.

“It's ready Gavvy!” She chirped out, watching as Gavin walked into the bathroom with a towel. He looked down at the freshly made bath with a smile.

“Cheers, love,” He set the towel down on the vanity and started slipping off his socks. “Lock the door on your way out, yeah?”

“Okie dokie!” She chirped, rushing over to the doorway and stopping, “You sure you don't want me to get Michael though?”

She heard him make a small noise and watched his cheeks as they turned pink.

“You two like each other, right?” She said, her head tilting lightly, “Auntie J said so. My own mama used to take baths with my dad sometimes. She said it's ro— _ro-man-tic_.”

He flashed a shy smile and shook his head. “It's fine, love, really. Thanks for drawing the bath.”

Her brown eyes narrowed as a cheeky smile stretched across her lips. “I'mma go get him!” She sang, booking it out the door. Gavin's mouth dropped for a second before shutting again. His cheeks were burning red the entire time, even as he shed his clothing and got into the water. He left the door unlocked. Sure he said no, but if she went and asked and Michael said yes, he wasn't gonna object.

 

Michael was busy drying his hair and watching the football game on TV. Despite the fact that his favorite team was winning, his mind kept going back to his phone. Why did the future change like that during lunch? What did he do? What did Gavin do?

A thought suddenly hit him. This happened before during the school bombing. What if another user was nearby? With the future changing so much, what if another user was making a play?

His phone let out another static hiss and he quickly grabbed it, his stomach and jaw dropping as he read the new entry.

**5/13 7:21 [home]  
Gavin screams from the first floor.**

**5/13 7:22 [home-bathroom]  
Gavin's laying face-down in the bathroom.  
There's a power cord nearby.  
He must have been electrocuted.**

In the bathroom, Gavin's thoughts were elsewhere. The thought of Michael was on the forefront of his mind. He didn't even hear the door open behind him. Maikea stood there quietly, a demented smile on her face with live wires in her rubber glove-covered hands. She couldn't wait, she thought. Soon, he would feel how she felt the first moment she laid eyes on him. Oh, how it hit her like a 100 thousand volts!

Downstairs, Michael was losing his mind. The clock said 7:20. He wasn't going to make it in time! He looked around every which way. Power. He needed to cut the power. The circuit breaker was too far. He didn't have time to find the right power cord. He looked around the room. The TV was on. Air conditioner too. His mom was using the microwave, along with the coffeemaker.

A soft gasp escaped his lips and he nearly let out a swear as it dawned on him. There was still a way.

Maikea stepped closer to the bath, staring with manic eyes at the back of Gavin's head. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, the whole thing leaving a sweet taste in her mouth and a bubbly feeling in her gut. The irony of it all was almost hilarious. First would die second, and her beloved Second would die first. She had to keep from laughing as she raised her hands high above her, slamming her hands down towards the water with a sick smile.

“Die!!” She thought to herself, picturing Gavin's handsome face as he was about to be violently electrocuted. Just as the wires hit the water, Michael switched the hairdryer to max and tripped the circuit breaker. The lights instantly shut off, leaving everyone in the dark. Gavin immediately perked up and turned around, staring directly at Maikea as she stood there in confusion. Maybe First wasn't so clueless after all.

As if right one cue, Michael swung open the bathroom door and rushed in. “Gavin! Are you okay?!”

Gavin reached out and tried smacking the little girl away, missing only by an inch as she backed off and ran out of the bathroom laughing. The two men stared at the bathroom door, Michael being the only one looking completely horrified as the little girl's laugh echoed through the hallway.

* * *

The very next morning the two men scoured the house for Mikea's diary. If she was User, then it couldn't be that far from her. Deep down Michael half-hoped she wasn't, and that she was just really fucked up and insane. She wouldn't be the first nutjob he knew, honestly. He just really didn't have it in him to kill a toddler.

Although, a toddler _did_ have it in them to kill him and Gavin...

“I can't fucking find it,” Michael growled quietly, rummaging through the junk drawer just outside his mom's bedroom. He tried to keep his movements as quiet as possible. The door was cracked open. Her and Maikea were napping inside.

“There's an easier solution, Michael,” Gavin muttered, coming up from the stairs with a large knife in his hand. He stepped forward towards the bedroom and Michael stopped him.

“Don't!” He whispered sharply, taking the brunette's arm. His heart skipped a little at the protective look Gavin was giving. He quickly pushed it aside.

“ _Don't_ ,” He whispered again, “I don't want a toddler's blood on our hands.”

Gavin kept his eyes narrowed and pointed at the bedroom.

“She's here to kill you, Michael. It's only fair.”

“She's only a kid!” Michael hissed, “Just cut it out and help me find her Diary.” 

“What if she tries to kill you before we find it?” Gavin asked, sounding completely casual as he held up the knife, “Can I kill her then?”

“I...” Michael was a loss for words for a second before he snapped out of it, “Will you just help me find her damn Diary—”

“You won't find it.” Standing at the doorway, Maikea smiled and waved to them both. She was draped in Ms. Jones's old Disney World T-shirt, the hem of it dragging along as she walked out into the hall. She picked her book-bag up off the messy floor and started to walk towards the bathroom. “I have to go potty now.”

Michael saw Gavin start to move and he gripped his arm tighter, holding him back as the little girl hummed and marched down the hall without a word.

“You're never gonna beat me that way,” She mumbled with a deranged smile on her face, “With your brains, you'll never find it.”

Michael didn't let that phase him. Throughout the day he rummaged through every drawer, and combed through every nook and cranny. He even used his diary to help him find it, checking all the spots the diary _didn't_ mention in it's entries. Maikea would occasionally watch them from a far, a snide grin on her face as she watched two grown men uselessly scramble around like a couple of dumb little bloodhounds. They were nowhere near close. Far from it, even.

Michael went as far to check the big stock pot on the stove. Of course it was empty, and he immediately felt dumb afterwards, but it was worth a shot.

As he closed the lid, he almost missed Gavin walking into the kitchen and heading straight for the knife block. He didn't say a word as he picked out the one he had grabbed before. He was just about to move, but Michael stood in his way and stopped him a second time.

“Gav!” He bit, his voice immediately falling into a hiss, “I thought I said we're not killing her!”

Again, Gavin blinked at him. “But this'll be much quicker, Michael.”

“Put that away!” He hissed, his eyes going over to the living room area, “My mom's out there with her right now. You can't!”

His mom was busy schooling Maikea in a round of Super Smash Bros. She was a wizard at using Wii Fit trainer, but the little one sitting next to her on the couch was putting up a pretty good fight with the Villager from Animal Crossing. Seeing something so tiny and adorable kick the crap out of her was actually really amusing, but her mind wandered over to the kitchen area where the guys still were. She was about to call for them, but then Maikea's character knocked off her Wii Fit trainer off the stage.

“K.O.!!” The game announced. The little girl beamed brightly as Ms. Jones clapped and congratulated her on her victory. The 4 year old nodded and thanked her before asking for a new stage. While Ms. Jones was busy setting it up, Maika's eyes wandered over to the kitchen, her beaming grin falling flat. Those two could look high and low, but they would never find it. Come high noon, the gloves were officially coming off.

  
Michael had wandered outside into the backyard to continue to the search. He was growing desperate at this point. He searched the garden, the shrubbery, and even the trash can. Still no luck. He even started digging into a bare patch in the yard with a small hand trowel. Gavin stood behind him, looking at his phone intently before looking back to the inside of the house. Maikea was standing there in the living room, looking amused as all hell.

Gavin only sighed through his nostrils. “We're not even close, Michael...”

“Well, we gotta keep looking,” Michael set the shovel down and looked forward in thought, “We know she didn't leave the house, except for when she went with mom to the store...”

He paused for a second. A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Gav, you don't think she could've hid it at the store, do—“

He stopped and jumped at the sound of glass breaking. He turned around sharply. Gavin wasn't behind him anymore. Instead, the side door was wide open and the sound of footsteps thumping around could be heard from outside.

Maikea let out a yelp and ducked as the end of a small mallet swung right at her. Gavin managed to miss by a hair, but that didn't stop him from trying smash her head in. He chased her all around the kitchen with the mallet gripped tight in his hand, smacking into everything but the little girl's skull. The little girl weaved around and took a sharp right, flinching at the whooshing sound of the mallet just barely missing her. She ducked under the kitchen table and scrambled across the floor. Gavin immediately leaped up and rushed across the table, knocking over plates and cups and ignoring them as they all shattered onto the floor. He jumped down and slammed the mallet down hard, missing the little girl once again as she booked it towards the hallway.   
Ms. Jones listened as the muffled sounds of banging started coming from outside. She looked up from her laptop and frowned over at door, whatever the three of them were doing was getting louder.

“What on earth are they doing out there?”

She jumped a little in her seat when she heard a loud bang followed by a crash.

“Oh hell no,” She said firmly, getting up and rushing over to the door, “Boys! Whatever you're doing you better—”

She swung the door open and poked her head out, immediately meeting eyes with Gavin as he raised his arm high in the air and brought it down hard, slamming the mallet right against her head. Gavin's eyes went wide in horror as the mother landed face down on the floor with a hard thud. His original target continued to run forward, managing to scramble past Michael who stood in the side doorway in complete shock. He stared at Gavin holding the mallet and his mother's unconscious body at his feet. His mouth opened, shock and anger completely overcoming him.

“What did you do?!!”

\---

The search for the Diary came to a screeching halt as Michael hurried to take care of his mom. He laid her down on the futon mattress in her office and drew the curtains, engulfing them in as much darkness as he could. Gavin was quick to sit by Michael's side, watching as he wrapped her injury and put an icepack against the side of her head. There wasn't any blood, thank god, but she was still unconscious.

Gavin's eyes began to sting and well up with tears as Michael placed a blanket over his mother and tried to get her comfortable.

“I'm such a bloody idiot,” He whimpered, sniffling hard as Michael gave him a stern look.

“You just had to go off, didn't you?” He said, “This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. You've got my mom mixed into this shit.”

Gavin buried his face in his hands and started to visibly shake. “I-I'm sorry Michael! I'm so sorry!”

Michael's hard look immediately softened and he carefully put his hands on the brunette's shoulders. “Gavin.”

The brunette looked up at him, tears still spilling down his cheeks. Michael was quick to help wipe them away before smiling softly.

“Look, I know your heart was in the right place,” He soothed, “But right now, we need to get serious. The sooner we find that little fucker's diary, the better. For all of us.”

Gavin sniffled hard as Michael wiped away a spare tear from his eye and gave him a loving smile.

“So chin up,” He said, his hands gently cupping Gavin's cheeks, “I can't do this without you, yeah?”

Gavin looked shocked for a second before flashing a crooked yet thankful smile. He nodded firmly and got up from the floor, leaving Michael in the dark with his mom while he went off to find Maikea's diary.

The second he left, Michael's smile fell flat and he looked back down at his mom. Seeing her all bandaged, laying completely still with eyes still shut—it made a dark, sickly feeling wash over him.

Time was running out.

\---

Gavin sat cross-legged on the kitchen table with his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat and quieting his loud thoughts.

' _My man needs me_ ,' he said to himself, ' _I need to find the Diary. Find it and he'll forgive me for cracking his mum's skull..._ '

He took another deep breath, and blacked everything and everyone else out. When he opened his eyes again, his search had begun.

“ _ **I'm Maikea Roberts, age five. I have a hiding place for the most precious thing I own that's easy access, yet no one can find...**_ ”

His mind's eye searched everywhere; the living room, the basement, under drawers and inside desks. All those places seemed unfit. Maikea was a prodigy, she prided herself on being one. It had to be in a place that was clever, as clever and cunning as she was.

“ _Where is it?_ ” Gavin hissed at himself, searching everywhere and getting more and more frustrated, “ _Come on, It's staring at me in the face...think!_ ”

Michael stepped into the kitchen and nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. Gavin was laying facedown on the table, hunched over on his knees and not moving a muscle.

“W-What the fuck?! Gavin!” Michael immediately rushed up to him and started shaking him, but Gavin didn't budge. He still had his eyes closed, searching through his thoughts for the answer. He searched the inside of the house and found nothing. The only thing left was thinking outside.

“ _I've only ever been to the store with Michael's Mum,_ ” He thought, “ _The corner store has a delivery service...I can send a package...I address it to myself._ ”  
His eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat straight up. “It's almost here.”

Before Michael could say anything, the doorbell let out a single ring. He perked up a little and briefly debated staying before making his way to the front door.

“Coming!” He called, frowning as he made it to the hallway and saw little Maikea already at the door waiting. She opened up the door and chirped a cheery “Hello!” at the Delivery man holding an envelope before her. Michael watched as the delivery man smiled and said hello back, starting to hand over the package in his hands.

That's when he suddenly heard footsteps running up from behind him. Gavin stood at the kitchen entryway, looking a mix between horrified and pissed.

“Stop her, Michael!” He yelled, “Her Diary's inside!”

Michael's eyes went wide and he immediately rushed for the front door. Maikea held her little hands out and smiled a big smile, the envelope just gracing her fingertips before two hands suddenly reached over her and yanked it away.

“No, you don't!!” Michael grabbed the package and slammed the door shut before retreating further back in the hallway, smiling triumphantly as Maikea was taken by complete surprise. Inside, her Diary's drawing changed from her smiling and receiving the package to her crying and grabbing for it from Michael.

The redhead let out an audible huff of relief before gripping the envelope's edge.

“We got it Gav, we're good!”

A static hiss went off on Gavin's phone and he looked down, staring in horror at the new diary entry.

**5/14 3:59  
Michael collapsed inhaling poison gas!!**

**5/14 4:00  
Michael won't move. Answer me Michael!!**

Gavin looked up, his eyes going wide as Michael got a grip on the package and started tearing it open. “Michael DON'T OPEN IT!”

But Michael wasn't listening. Just as he ripped open the top, he saw a little piece of what looked like string break and suddenly something strange burst out from the envelope. One minute he was standing upright, and the next he was on the floor, his eyes blurring and the smell of something bitter burning his nostrils. He hit the ground with hard thud and looked up. Maikea was standing over him with a gas mask on, giggling triumphantly as she picked up the envelope and pulled her Diary out. He heard Gavin screaming his name from behind him before two hands suddenly scrambled to pick him up and drag him away to safety. Michael looked up as a strange yellow haze began filling the hallway. The hallway that started swaying and rocking and making him sick. He watched as Maikea danced with the walls chirping “Victory! Victory!” before she disappeared behind the corner. Gavin had dragged him into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it immediately afterwards.

\---

Gavin patted Michael's bare back as he continued to vomit into the toilet. He did his best to follow proper safety procedure—stripped him down to his boxers, washed him as best he could, but Michael still had the poison in his system, and he would need an antidote soon.

An antidote _he_ didn't have.

Suddenly there was a soft knock at the door.

“Gavin, come play with me!” He heard little Maikea whine through her mask, “How long are you gonna hide in there?!”

He looked down and watched as Michael began to jerk a little, his muscles shaking and twitching as he vomited loudly into the toilet.

Another knock. This one much louder. She was getting impatient.

“Just forget about him!” She yelled as she pounded a tiny fist on the door, “He's a goner anyway, there's nothing you can do! Come out and play!”

Inside, the brunette's lips pursed to a thin line as he patted Michael's sweaty back. His skin was growing warm. He was burning up. His breathing was heavy and labored, his voice barely audible as he rasped “ _Don't”_ before coughing again.

Gavin swallowed hard, and glared bitterly over at the doorway.

“I was probably the one who killed your parents,” He said flatly, “Matter of fact I'm sure of it. If you want to kill someone, then kill me. Michael has nothing to do with it.”

The little girl ceased her knocking for a second, a snide grin stretching under her mask before she started up again. “Aww Gavin, don't be so glum. I love you...”

She thought back to his beautiful face as it twisted in horror as Michael was poisoned. Butterflies erupted in her stomach, causing her smile to grow wide and manic.

“Butchery is just how I choose to express it,” She admitted sweetly, “That's why I'm going to kill you!”

She banged on the door even harder, causing the whole thing to rattle.

“Come out and play!!!” She screeched out, earning no answer in response.

“Fight all you want big brother,” She goaded, “You and I both know we're gonna go at each other like animals. Let's have fun killing each other!”

After one final knock, there wasn't a single sound and the little girl went silent.

“...Fine then, be a bitch,” She huffed, getting a little plastic kit out of her bag, “Tell ya what, I'll give you something good if you beat me. The antidote!”

On the other side, Gavin immediately perked up.

“The game's easy,” She reasoned, “A simple round of hide and seek. If you can catch me, you win and get to save your stupid boyfriend. If the gas gets you, I win.”

“...M...Mom,” Michael rasped quietly, struggling to lift his head from the toiled, “We h—ave to g-g-”

“I'm not a monster, Michael!” Maikea bit, sounding oddly offended from the other side of the door, “I don't want Auntie J to suffer. She's outside in the yard, safe and sound.”

Once again, there was no answer, and the little girl in the frog hat took that as a green-light.

The game was officially on.

“Okay Gavin, you ready?” She sung, taking several steps before booking it down the hall, “Aaaand GO!”

Gavin immediately sprang up off the tile floor and reached for the doorknob, stopping as a warm, sweaty hand latched onto his other wrist.

“Don't!” Michael croaked, “There's no way in hell this isn't a trap. If you go out there—”

His voice trailed off as Gavin's expression switched from hard and menacing to soft and loving within seconds.

“Even in a time like this you're worried about me,” He remarked, smiling a genuine smile, “Thank you Michael...”

He twisted his arm a little, giving the redhead's wrist a gentle squeeze in solidarity before letting go.

“I'll be back with the antidote before you know it, love,” He pulled a washcloth off the vanity and used it cover his mouth before before taking a deep breath. Michael watched the entire time, his heart thundering in his chest as the brit opened the door and stepped out in the hall, shutting it quickly behind him.

The game had officially begun. Gavin looked around the hall carefully, taking shallow breaths through the washcloth as he stepped forward.

A tiny figure ran past and Gavin immediately caught the sight of her bouncy curls disappearing behind the corner. He bolted forward, going straight for the living room before stumbling back. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his leg and he fought back a pained gasp. He looked down. His foot had landed on a thumbtack. The doorway had been littered with them.

No doubt Maikea's version of a childish prank.

After pulling the tack out, he carefully stepped over the trap and rushed over to the window. His breathing was becoming more and more labored and uncomfortable through the wash rag. He needed air. He was about to pry one open, but stopped and growled in frustration after it wouldn't budge. He stepped back and frowned. All the windows had their edges sealed in tight layers of masking tape.

Maikea again. Dammit.

He picked up a vase off the coffee table and chucked it at the window, watching as it shattered and created a massive hole to allow more air to flow through. He stuck his head out and took in huge, deep breaths, relishing in the taste of fresh, clean air.

In the kitchen, Maikea was giggling to herself in the dark, currently concealed in a tight corner in the food pantry.

' _Nice work, big bro_ ,' She thought to herself, admiring the smart enough move to break the window. Her smile grew wide under the gas mask. “ _Don't get too cocky yet though, the fun's just getting started..._ ”  
  
The brunette huffed under his wash rag as he continued through the house. His grip on the kitchen knife in his hand grew tight as he entered the family room. His green eyes scanned the area, falling on a suspicious lump of blankets on the couch. His eyes narrowed as he stalked up to it, raising the knife with one hand and yanking the blanket off with another. Without missing a beat he slammed the knife down, jabbing the blade into the stomach of a stuffed toy. The thing eerily laughed him in the face a few times before the voicebox died out. The brit gasped a little before immediately shutting his mouth. The house still wasn't safe.

‘ _Nerves of steel, that one has. Jesus._ ’ Maikea thought, watching him from a safe distance in the hall. Quietly she retreated into the cleaning closet before stopping, opening up her diary to see what her future had in store. In it was a crude drawing of Gavin stabbing her in the neck.

Clearly, this hiding spot was no good.

Maikea carefully made her way outside and ran around to the other side of the house. She was all giggles and smiles the entire time. She absolutely loved it here! She had Auntie J who was so kind, and she had two big brothers to play with. Things couldn't have been better. She ran back into the house, chuckling her little head off. Her old house was so boring. All her parents ever did was fight. They'd swear and throw things, even go as far as hitting each other. Who was _really_ the childish one?

The little girl snuck her way through the hall and made a beeline for the upstairs. Who needed a dumb old mom and dad anyway? She was perfectly fine on her own. And if she won this game, it'd prove that for sure.

  
Gavin opened up the cleaning closet and peered inside. Nothing. She wasn't on the first floor anymore, that much he knew, which could only mean she was on the second. He rushed down the hallway and went straight for the stairs, stepping up towards the second floor in blind determination. He could see the little girl's frog hat as he neared the top. Then, her little smiling face under the gas mask. Then, her whole self, sitting perched on an overturned chair. The grip on his knife grew tight as he stalked towards her, the intent to kill etched all over his face.

The little girl didn't seem at all phased by it. In fact it only made her smile wider. Her tiny heart racing behind her chest.

“Uh oh, looks like you found me!” She sung, the butterflies erupting in her stomach as Gavin stared her down.

“Bring it,” He hissed, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“Now I've got nowhere to hide,” She teased slowly, dramatically even, “You've got me _good and cornered,_ Big bro...”

The smile under her mask grew wide and manic.

“But I still win.”

Something cold suddenly hit the pads of Gavin's feet and he looked down. Water had started to spill from the faucets in the nearby bathroom and seeped all the way out onto the stairs. Gavin's green eyes widened and looked up at the small girl as she held out a lit lamp.

“Oh, _what do we have here?_ ” She sung, her heart thundering and racing at Gavin's handsome, horrified face, “Better luck next time Gavvy!” She slammed the lamp down and laughed as the lightbulb shattered and sparks started to fly out. An electrical current spread across the water within seconds, and she watched with delight as Gavin's mouth opened and he let out a silent scream. His entire body seized up as the electrical shock pierced through him, his eyes going wide as tennis balls as his muscles tensed and a searing pain burned through him. Maikea watched as the water let out a strange popping sound and the lamp continued to spark and flash before going dead. Gavin fell over and collapsed onto the steps with a hard thud, his body twitching and shaking in short, rapid bursts. The drama of it all caused the little to squeal and clap her hands in sheer delight 

“An electrifying show!” She joked out, giggling impishly. Gavin continued to twitch and groan on the steps, his grip on the knife still firm, but not of his own free will. The little girl tilted her head, staring down at him curiously.

“You know...there's something I still don't get,” She mused, “The point of this game is to kill each other, right? Why are you so hellbent on protecting First?”

She watched as he struggled to lift his head, his lips pursed shut. Her eyes narrowed.

“You can stop holding your breath, by the way.”

The brunette's lips trembled as he let go of the breath he was holding onto. 

“I, I-I'm not...In this f-for mys-elf...” He sniffled, tears welling up as she slowly stepped down the stairs. “I...I j-just love Michael. I p-protect him out of love.”

“Awww, how sweet,” She teased, digging through her backpack and pulling out a clean syringe, “It's just as well that you lose now.”

She took one final step and leaned over to Gavin's incapacitated form, staring between the needle and the skin on his neck.

“Wellp, it’s been fun, Gavin...” The child leaned forward to press the poison into him. Gavin's eyes began to well up with tears as he apologized over and over in his head to Michael. He knew he failed now, but deep down he'd hoped— _prayed_ that Michael would somehow make it out of this alive. He looked away, trying to ignore the needle that was nearing his skin. Trying to ignore the swell of angry, bitter, heartbroken thoughts. He wanted the image of Michael Jones to be the last good thing he thought of before he died. He closed his eyes, and struggled to take a deep, shaking breath as he felt something starting to gently poke at his skin.

Maikea suddenly spotted movement and looked up from her work. Before she knew what was happening, someone came chugging up the steps and hurled something at her. A throwing knife had suddenly whizzed over Gavin's head and smacked right into her shoulder, causing her to stumble back and scream. Running up the stairs with all his strength, Michael pulled Gavin into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. The tears that were welling in Gavin's wide eyes finally spilled out, shock overcoming him when the redhead pulled back. He watched as Michael fell back and collapsed, tumbling down the stairs.  
  
“Michael...” Gavin mumbled, turning his head and staring menacingly towards the top of the steps. Pulling himself up, he gripped his knife tight and padded his way up to the second floor, his eyes dead set on the little girl slumped against the overturned chair. She stared down the sharp blade at the boy's side, her lips trembling under her gas mask as Gavin raised it. This was it. Game over.

“It's clear to me,” He said, his voice void of all emotion, just like his eyes, “You don't understand true love.”

Maikea stared right into those dulled, forest greens and nearly lost her breath.

“...Wow.” She replied, looking up at the brunette as the knife started coming down towards her chest.

* * *

 

Blood started pooling around Maikea's shivering body on the floor, staining the new clothes Auntie J got her, and the diary that was pinned to her chest with the kitchen knife jammed into her stomach. She kept her back pressed against the chair, her smile weak, and broken as she looked up at her crush.

“G-good,” She gasped out, pain shooting through her with every breath, every movement of her stomach and chest, “Good—for you...” She held out the antidote with one shaking hand, offering a small smile, trembling and sniffling as tears ran down her sweet face. Gavin took it and inspected it carefully, not saying a word.

“I-it’s real I promise,” She assured, “Too...late t-to pull a fa-ast one. But are you...sure about this?”

Gavin looked down at her, his expression completely deadpan.

“What's gonna...h-happen when it's just you two?” She asked, whimpering under her shaking breath, “One of you...will end up...killing the other. W-What will you do when...when that day comes?”

Her eyes flitted down to Gavin's lips as a ghost of something appeared before disappearing from his expression. She caught it within seconds and rasped a light, yet pained giggle.

“You'd better win,” She said, her image distorting as she slowly swirled in on herself, “Good luck,” her voice echoed, “Oh, and _congratulations_.” Gavin watched as the knife fell from the little girl's stomach as she twisted and swirled out of existence. The minute she disappeared, her diary dropped open before him, displaying the final entry.

**May | 15** **th** **| Weather: Sunny | Time: Morning**  
Maikea Roberts is killed by Gavin Free.  
Dead End.  
But it was fun!

“I don't give a damn,” Gavin finally said after she was gone, “I'll protect my boi from whoever the hell I've got to.”

As he made his way downstairs, he found himself feeling sicker and his body feeling heavier and heavier. His eyes were dead set on Michael the entire time, the redhead passed out at the foot of the stairs.

“Hang on love,” He huffed, his vision blurring as he staggered down the steps, “The antidote's coming...”

He only made it the 3rd to last step before passing out himself, collapsing beside Michael's body with the syringe leaving his hand. He failed to see the figure standing at the open doorway wearing heavy clothing and a gas mask, an eyepatch covering one eye. He looked down at the syringe, and then at the two boys on the ground.  
  


“Word of advice, First,” Michael heard Ray's voice speak out in the darkness, “ _Kill_ _him._ There's only one winner to this game, so just _deal with it_.”

The redhead felt his world sway and shift for a second before going still again. When he opened his eyes, he was outside in the front yard, looking up at the stars. His head slowly shifted to the right, watching the back of Ray's head as he was walking away.

“In the end, he's your biggest threat,” He heard him say, “Push comes to shove, mercy won't factor in to how _he_ deals with you...”

 


	9. DIANA || NEW MODEL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School is back in session, and Michael's a little nervous about making friends. Gavin would rather he just didn't. People are suddenly being brutally murdered left and right, and Michael's worried that Third may have made an impossible comeback. After all, someone HAS been following him around...

“ _Here we stand_ ,” Deus spoke, looking out from their mighty throne at the remaining contestants below, _“Eight perspective heirs to my throne remain as the gathering dark of time in peril sounds its knell. The game lurches forward towards it's logical conclusion...”_

Michael stared out at the remaining Users from his pedestal. All of them still veiled in a dark silhouette, their identities hidden.

Then out of nowhere, 10th suddenly raised his hand.

“Deus,” He called, “I'd like to make a request. It's, uh...somewhat controversial.”

The god of time remained silent, ushering for him to explain further.

“I want to transfer diary ownership,” He proposed, earning confused looks from the Users around him. “Temporarily, but with good reason, if you allow it...”

Deus's eyes narrowed in curiosity. “ _I see..._ ”

* * *

“Hey mom?” Michael called as he poked his head into his mom's office, “I'm off to class.”

His mom stopped her typing on her laptop and swiveled around in her computer chair. She looked at him with a light smile, but it was clear that she was worried. “You sure you're gonna be okay today?”

Michael gave a small nod. “Should be asking that about you though,” He remarked, his eyes pointing to the bandage lightly wrapped around her skull. “How's your head?”

“Fine, fine,” She answered simply, “Doc says I'm in the clear.”

He gave another small nod before stepping back. “Well, I'll see ya later.”

“Son of mine,” She called, watching as her son stopped and stepped back in. “I never really thanked you or Gavin for what happened...”

He immediately thought of Gavin smacking the mallet into his mom's skull and swallowed hard, trying to push back the guilty, sickly feeling in his stomach.

“I know it must've been terrifying having to fight off that burglar,” She gave a dry scoff, “My dumb ass just had to get in the way...”

“Y-You didn't know, Mom,” Michael reasoned, pushing back the image of Gavin with a bloody knife, “It's okay. We were just trying to protect you...”  
His mom blinked at him for a few seconds before smiling warmly, holding out her arms. He rolled his eyes a little and stepped forward, taking her into a hug. For some reason instead of protesting or complaining how hard she hugged, he fully embraced it this time. He found himself feeling glad that he still got do this with her. That she was still alive and safe...

“Oh my darling boy,” She sighed, giving him a firm kiss on the side of the head before letting go, “Now haul ass, I'm not paying over 9 grand a semester just so you can be late.”

The redhead let out a scoff and stepped out of her office, giving her a small salute before leaving. “Later!”

“Good luck!” She called back, “And tell Gavin I say thank you when you see him!”

* * *

Michael left the apartment deep in thought. It had been two weeks since Maikea's murder. When he'd woken up in the hospital, Geoff explained to him what happened. He'd told his mother that she'd been knocked unconscious while Gavin was trying to fight off an intruder. Child Services had taken Maikea away and placed her with some extended family out in Denver. He told her that the house had been taped off to be investigated as a crime scene, but in reality it was being aired out and cleaned. So now, they were relocated to a new apartment, and a community announcement was released that University students displaced by the bombing would be going to the local city college to continue classes.

Classes that started today.

He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair, an aching feeling at the pit of his stomach. Sure, it was still college, but for some reason it made him just as nervous—as if he were going to a new high school. He couldn't shake it the entire time he was walking. It was only until he stopped in front of a warning sign that his attention was drawn elsewhere. While he read over the warning about the serial purse snatcher, somebody's head poked out from behind the corner a few feet away, watching him.

“...Hi love,” A voice peeped, causing Michael to jump and tense up a little. He turned around sharply, looking back at Gavin, who was looking right at him.

“I really like your outfit today,” He chirped, sounding shyer than usual as he flashed a crooked smile, “It's cool.”

He stepped out from behind the corner and walked up to him, his messenger bag in towe and a textbook under his arm. Michael swallowed hard, tensing up as the two of them walked together towards their new school. Would it be the same as last time? Gavin watching his every move without him knowing, students talking shit behind his back...?

He quickly got out his phone and started scrolling through the events of the day. The suspense was killing him. Before he could get to the part where he entered his classroom, Gavin gently tugged on his other wrist, stopping him briefly.

“Michael,” He said softly, “I'm sure you're already know this, but...At this new school, you shouldn't use your Diary. At all.”

Michael looked up from his phone and blinked at him. “Why?”

“Well you got in trouble with Third because you used it so much, right?” He looked forward, they were nearing the school now, “I'd put it away before we get to the crosswalk.”

Michael's lips twisted to the side a little. The guy did have a point. He practically announced that he was a User with that little stunt he pulled back at the school. He would just have to resort to using his own smarts and hope for the best...at least for the first day.

“You're right,” He spoke, shoving his phone in his back pocket, “We should be good for the first day, right?”

The brunette smiled, looking a mix between relieved and happy that Michael had heard him out. “'Course. It's gonna be fine.”

Michael flashed him a crooked smile, sighing as they neared the crosswalk. “I guess I could focus on trying to be social, make new friends and shit...”

“Aw you don't need any friends, boi, ” Gavin chuckled, “You've got me! I mean we'll be in different courses, but that doesn't—“

He stopped and turned to see Michael's attention was elsewhere. He was looking right across the street at the bus stop, an odd expression on his face.

“What's wrong, love?” Gavin asked, “Scared?”

Michael perked up and looked at him, pointing a finger over at the bus stop. “Oh, s-someone was...”

When he looked back over, the guy who was standing at the stop was gone. He looked relatively older, average build, dirty blonde hair and a scruff of facial hair around his face. The guy was most definitely staring at him, and he almost thought he saw a smile, but dismissed it as his imagination.

“Nevermind,” He sighed, shaking it off. Gavin briefly looked to where he was pointing before looking back at him, a crooked smile stretching across his face.

“Promise me that we'll walk home together,” He said, “I'll wait for you by the front after school, yeah?”

An uneasy feeling started to rise in the pit of Michael's stomach. Still, he nodded and gave a small “Sure.” before walking on again.

__

City College wasn't that different from the university Michael went to. The campus was certainly bigger. There were a lot more students too. The whole place was cleaner as well, but that could've been because his own school was a pile of burned rubble.

Curbing the need to get out his phone and scope out what was in store for him, the redhead resorted to a more practical approach and mentally fought himself the entire way to his first class. To show up, or not show up? That was the question...

He finally decided on going, but only if he tried to be as invisible as possible. He slunk his way into his first class and kept his head down, not saying a word or making eye contact with anyone. He took the furthest empty seat in the back, set his bag down, and immediately got out his textbook. No one said anything to him. So far so good. He opened up the book and started flipping through the pages. Art History. A slight bore, but kind of interesting too. At least there were tons of pictures.

“Well, if it isn't Michael Jones,” The voice in front of him sneered, “Come to grace us with his presence.”

Michael frowned and looked up from his book, his stomach immediately dropping as the guy in front of him turned around in his desk.

“K...Kerry,” He breathed, his eyes going wide, “Holy shit, dude.”

“Good to see ya, Michael, how's the world been treating ya?” He asked, his voice sounding anything but friendly.

Michael's shocked look immediately shifted into a bitter one. ' _Great since you sold me out to Ninth, you rat fuck._ '

He kept his lips pursed, not saying a single word.

“Not gonna lie dude, I'm surprised you came,” The blonde scoffed, the corner of his mouth turning up, “I mean, _you did get everyone in our last school killed!_ ”

A couple students around the room stopped and stared over at Kerry, Michael instantly tensing up.

“Dude,” He hissed, lowering his voice, “What the fuck is your prob—”

“Hey man, I get it, you want a new start after what you did!” Kerry projected, still drawing attention to himself before he leaned in real close. His voice lowered to a normal volume. “You'll have your work cut out for you as long as I'm around though. Be the outcast in this place too, frea—”

“Hey! Shut it!!” A rolled up magazine suddenly came down and smacked Kerry over the head. The guy let out a yelp and held his head, looking bitterly at the holder.

“What the hell was that for?!” He bit.

Michael looked over at the one who saved him from any further embarrassment. She was rather tiny, with warm brown skin and long dark hair dyed pink on the ends. She had an air mischief and a sense of adventure of about her, and it showed on her beaming grin and basey giggle.

“Calm your tits, dude. It's bad form to fight on the first day,” She assured, tapping the roll in the palm of her hand.

Another student walked in. He was only a little taller than her, but much bulkier with broad shoulders and tattoos on his upper arm. The entire top half of his hair was styled and dyed a vivid blue. “And once again, Mica Burton swoops in to rescue the underdog. So adorable.”

“Knock it off, Jeremy,” She swatted his shoulder, this time with much less force, “I'm just being nice. The redhead over there looked ready Hulk out.”

The guy named Jeremy laughed lightly and shook his head. “You're gonna be famous for that soft spot, one day.”

Mica simply rolled her eyes before looking over at Michael. “You okay?”

Michael nodded lightly and muttered a small “fine.” before tensing up. The side door suddenly opened up and the teacher walked through.

“Alright guys, take your seats,” He called out, immediately going over to the chalkboard and writing, “For those of you who are new, my name's Mr. Pattillo, but feel free to call me Jack.”

After writing down his name, he picked up a stack of papers from his desk and instructed one of the students to hand them out. Aisle by aisle, each student grabbed a sheet of paper and read it as Jack scribbled on the board.

“Alright, now this is very important so pay attention. Walk home in groups. Be on high alert if you're in a dangerous area, or a spot that's not very well-lit. Campus security has been increased, so if you've got Student Housing, don't hesitate to ask someone to escort you back to your dorm.”

Michael looked down at his paper and frowned. “Murders?”

“Don't you watch the news, dude?” Kerry muttered, turning halfway in his seat to look at him, “A bunch of people have been brutally killed around this neighborhood in the past few weeks.”

Michael swallowed hard. Could Third have come back? This didn't seem too different from when he was doing the killing...

“I heard the corpses looked pretty bad, too,” Mica whispered, leaning over in her seat next to Michael's, “I heard they were eaten by some kind of animal—all torn up and bloody, covered in teeth marks. They were mutilated to the point where their next of kin couldn't even identify them.”

This only seemed to relieve Michael a little. Very little. It definitely couldn't have been Third.

“Teeth marks,” He quoted, looking down at the sheet, “Wouldn't those point to who the criminal is?”

Mica leaned back in her seat, thinking about it for a moment. “Hmm...Yeah. True.”

Jeremy leaned over from the desk next to her, an intense look on his face. “I heard the cops are keeping all sorts of info under wraps to keep a panic from breaking out.”

“We should ask Ryan what he thinks about it,” Mica mumbled, earning a small nod from the blue-haired guy next to her.

Michael's eyebrow quirked curiously. “Who's Ryan?”

Mica turned to look at him, nodding a little over to the empty desk on the other side of him.

“That open spot right there? Belongs to our school's biggest oddball,” She informed, “He skips a lot to go running around the city playing _Private Eye_.”

Michael turned to look at the desk for a second, his attention drawn back to Mica as she let out a cheery, “Hey hey!”

She folded her arms and grinned at him, leaning back onto her desk, “Boom. Okay. Hear me out for the coolest idea ever in the history of cool ideas...”

* * *

Gavin watched as students began pouring out from the front entrance of the admission building. When he saw Michael his smile immediately widened and a waved a hand towards him.

Something was different though.

Michael wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the three others who were walking the same pace he was. They were all talking together about something he couldn't hear.

“Michael...” He muttered, watching as the only girl with them laughed and playfully nudged the blue-haired guy in the shoulder, “...Who are they?”

 

The five of them ended up sneaking into the park where the last murder happened. It wasn't the first thing that came to Michael's mind when Mica said she had a cool idea, but it was kind of badass, nonetheless. She didn't seem at all creeped out about the idea of seeing a murder scene. If anything, she seemed stoked. The entire walk there she raved about how she loved horror movies and criminal tv shows, but her number one passion was video games. Jeremy seemed to agree with her, the two of them raving nonstop about them.

“Do you play, Michael? What's your fave?” She asked, snapping him out of his daze and putting him on the spot. The redhead shoved his hands in his pockets, clearly a little nervous as he spoke.

“O-Oh, uh... _Gears_ is pretty good,” He remarked, “My number one though is Zelda.”

“I love Zelda!!” She all but exclaimed, “Oh my god! Which one's your favori—”

“Mica, jesus! Reel it in,” Jeremy laughed, immediately noticing Michael's shocked face, “You're freaking him out.”

“Oh, shit—sorry—and whatever Jeremy!” She flung a hand in Michael's direction, “When's the last time we ever socialized with another cool gamer that wasn't online and far away?”

Michael smiled at that. They thought he was cool. They went on to talk about their favorite games, and within minutes Michael was even brave enough to show off his Gears and Ganondorf tattoos to them. Kerry even joined in on the conversation, and the longer it went, the more Michael realized that he was actually kind of okay.

As the three of them walked on ahead, Gavin lingered a little bit behind. He was completely stone-faced the entire time, saying very little, even as Jeremy and Mica tried to include him and ask him questions.

“So what's it like in the UK? I've always wanted to go,” She chirped as they walked along.

“S'alright,” Gavin said simply, his tone deadpan. Michael swallowed hard. Despite the expressionless look on his face, he could still feel the echo of anger that practically radiated from him.

“Well uh, do you play any videogames? What's your favorite?” Jeremy asked.

“I like Hitman a lot,” He answered honestly, “GTA is pretty top too. Halo's got to be my favorite though.”

“Yeah, Gavin's a total badass at Halo,” Michael added, just missing the crooked smile and faint blush coming from the guy next to him.

“Hey we should all exchange tags after this,” Mica spoke, giving Michael a playful nudge in the shoulder, “School some 12 year old pricks on Live sometime.”

Michael nudged her back with a small laugh and gently pushed her forward. He looked over at Gavin and immediately tensed, the guy giving a small glare that was anything but subtle towards the back of her head as she walked on with Jeremy.

Kerry, who was still up ahead, suddenly stopped and looked to his left at the small park. His jaw immediately dropped and he rushed forward, waving frantically over to the others.

“Holy shit! Guys c'mere! I found it!!”

Mica and Jeremy practically sprinted over to him and immediately stopped in front of the small play area. The girl's mouth instantly dropped at the crime scene. Despite being void of the actual body parts, everything was still visible and incredibly messy.

“Oh _shit_ ,” She breathed, leaning over to look at the giant splatters on the sidewalk, “You can still see the blood!”

Jeremy pointed over to the various chalk circles still drawn on the ground, “They even still got the outlines! Look!”

Michael walked up next to him and looked down. Dried pools of blood and dark bits of something he could only presume was guts were caked onto the pavement. He was in complete awe. Whatever animal did this had completely shredded its victim.

“Dude, that is _so_ fucked up,” He gushed. He turned to look back at Gavin. He still lingered a good distance behind, watching them all with a blank expression as they wandered around the crime scene. An uneasy feeling started to worm it's way through his stomach. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn the guy looked like he was about to lose it.

“Hey Michael! Come on!” Mica called, already several feet up ahead with Jeremy and Kerry. They were heading further into the park. The redhead looked back at them, and then over to Gavin. Then, back over to them.

' _...Eh, he'll deal with it._ ’ He thought, choosing to let himself have fun for once.  
  
All throughout the day Michael and others seemed to have fun. He hadn't been to the park in so long, he'd almost forgotten just how much fun it was. They swung on the swings, hung upside down on the bars, even jumped across the large rocks that went across the pond. Kerry even slipped and fell in a couple times, Mica documenting the whole ordeal on her phone and announcing it was streaming live. Eventually the five of them stopped over by the rest area, where Mica swore that the weirdest drink on earth was being sold in the vending machine nearby. They all huddled around as she pointed to the flavor on the drinks list. Sure enough, she was right.

“Salty Watermelon Pepsi,” Michael read, leaning back at little and frowning, “What the hell?!”

“I know! It sounds crazy, right?!” Mica asked, laughing at Michael's expression.

Jeremy shook his head in confusion. “Who would put salt in soda?”

“We have to try it,” She insisted.

The four of them instantly agreed and each bought themselves a bottle. Kerry was the first to open his up and try it, immediately spitting it out after a few seconds. The other three laughed at his reaction before trying it themselves. Jeremy instantly spat his out as well. Mica sipped on it a few times before nodding in approval. Michael took a big swig and immediately opened his mouth, the sudden burst of flavors overwhelming his tastebuds and causing it to fall out of his mouth like a waterfall. The others let out a loud laugh.

Gavin stayed his distance from them the whole time, digging his foot in the dirt as he watched them joke around. Mica managed to snap a photo of Michael's scrunched up face with soda spilling out of his mouth, dubbing it the moneyshot of moneyshots. She turned and took a quick selfie of the three of them before looking forward. She spotted Gavin standing in the shade with his hands behind his back, his eyes deadset on the four of them.

She smiled brightly at him and waved for him to come over. “Dude come over here! You gotta try this out!”

Gavin only smiled back and stayed rooted to where he was, his foot still digging in the dirt over and over.

“No thank you.” He mumbled, finishing the 'E' as he wrote ‘ **DIE.** ’ in the ground for the eleventh time.

* * *

“Not gonna lie, I thought it was gonna be cooler than this,” Mica sighed, filming the view of the city before finally exiting out of her streaming app. She put her phone back in her pocket and turned around, watching as the others were starting to finally catch up to her at the lookout point. Michael was the first to make it, his hands in his pockets as walked up beside her and looked out at the city. Despite seeing it so many times, something about seeing it with a bunch of others made it seem so...new. Different even.

“Hey...Mica,” He spoke, his eyes still focused on the cityscape as she looked at him.

“Yeah?”

“What, uh...” He searched his words for a second while scratching the back of his head, “I-I dunno, what made you wanna stick your neck out for me like that?”

She tilted her head at him before looking up, thinking about it for a few seconds before answering.

“Well, for one, I'm not a fan of bullies,” She remarked, instantly flashing a bright grin as she playfully punched him in the shoulder, “And two, that's what friends do, right? They got each others backs.”

Michael rubbed his arm a little and chuckled, his cheeks turning warm. “Friends?”

“Yeah, _friends,_ ” She asserted, “What, do I need to be all formal and ask? We're not in grade school anymore.”

She let out a giggle and pointed a thumb over to the other side of the park. “There's an even cooler spot on the other end, last one there buys the first round at El Camino!”

Before Michael could get a word in, she was already off like a bolt of lightning, booking it down the stone pathway towards the other side of the park.

Just as she disappeared, Jeremy finally made it up the path and walked up towards him. “She’s gonna be famous for that soft spot someday.” He joked, looking over at him. “Let me warn you though, it's a strong possibility that you two will just be friends.”

Michael scoffed and shook his head ignoring Kerry and Jeremy's playful teasing as they started walking after Mica. Gavin looked none too happy that they were still here, his lips pursing to a thin line as he reached out and gently took Michael's wrist.

“Michael,” He whispered lightly, earning his attention, “We should go now.”

The redhead furrowed. “Why?”

To be honest, he could see it on Gavin's face. There was a whole list of reasons, but none of them would be good enough to keep him from making friends and having a chance at a remotely normal life.

“I'm having a good time,” He admitted, hoping the brunette would understand, “If you want you can head back now, but I wanna hang around a little longer.”

Gavin let go of Michael's wrist, mumbling a small “Fine, then.” under his breath before following alongside without another word.

* * *

Mica was far out of sight and out of breath as she slowed to a stop. She took a couple of seconds to collect herself before turning around, wiping the sweat off her forehead and groaning when she saw that no one else had caught up yet.

“Man, those guys are slow,” She mumbled, running her fingers through her damp hair before tying it up into a loose bun. Right when she finished, a strange noise suddenly erupted from the the overgrown woods behind her. She turned around sharply, jumping at the sharp metallic sound of scraping and growling mixed together.

“What the hell?” She breathed, taking a moment to look around before stepping forward to check it out. Her footsteps stopped just at the edge of the woods, her eyes narrowing as she looked further into the darkened area before her. The noise kept on going, getting louder before going quiet, then loud again. She was about to step in further, but stopped and jumped at the sound of a dull metal _clang!_

She let out a yelp and immediately turned around. “Nope!” She let out, “Nope! No. Fuck that. Uh-uh!”

Another dull metal _CLANG!_ This one even louder, and coming from the other side of her. She stopped and jumped again, clamping her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming out loud and disturbing whatever it was that lurked in the bushes. She watched as the bushes started to rattle and she took a step back, her entire body shaking as the sound of growling grew louder and louder. The sun’s setting light began casting menacing shadows over the woods, and over the dark figures that shifted between the trees. Mica looked every which way on either side of her as the growling drew near. Her dark brown eyes widened as she was met with several pairs of large glowing red eyes, all of them staring at right her.

* * *

Michael and Gavin walked on ahead of Kerry and Jeremy, the four of them in a comfortable silence as they wandered down the path that Mica had been running on. Michael was feeling a little uneasy. It was getting late, and she still wasn't anywhere to be found.

Just then a static hiss erupted from his phone. He immediately froze up in place.

“Oh shit,” He muttered.

“The future changed,” Gavin hissed while Michael frantically got out his phone, “There's another user somewhere nearby. We need to go!”

“Well what are we supposed to do?!” He hissed back, “The others'll get dragged into this. And Mica's still out there!”

He quickly unlocked his phone and started scrolling through the future texts, searching frantically for where Mica was.

“Michael, no!” Gavin muttered sharply, “We need to get out of here! Who cares about others, they're not your responsibility—”

“Shut _up!_ ” Michael bit through his teeth, ignoring the brunette as he stepped back a little in shock, “Mica's my friend, okay?! I get that it pisses you off but I'm not just gonna leave her to di—”

He stopped reading the entries for a second as his sentence was cut short. His jaw immediately dropped, his eyes nearly the size of tennis balls as he read the future text once over again.

 **6/1 5:26 pm [Austin Central Park]  
** Mica's dead body is up ahead over the hill. **  
6/1 5:32 pm [Austin Central Park]  
** Her arm's been torn off and lies near her body.

Before anyone else could get a word in, Michael shot forward and started booking it down the path like a bat out of hell. Jeremy and Kerry were hauling ass after him, calling his name and asking why on earth they were running all of the sudden.

“Michael! What the hell's going on?!” Jeremy asked.

“Whatever this is it better be good!” Kerry called, huffing and panting as they made it over the hill.

Michael took a few steps forward then stopped in his tracks, panting heavily as he looked down at his phone. He stared at the screen for a few seconds, then over to his left. All the blood drained from his face as he stared into the small clearing a handful of feet away. A single arm laid there in the grass, gnarled and chewed on at the ends where the elbow would be. The rest of the body was only a few feet ahead—laying face-down in a growing pool of blood. Her own blood.

His insides began to burn and twist. He felt sick. He felt scared. She was dead. How could she be dead?! He shouldn't have let her run off. How could he be so stupid?!

“M...Mica?” Jeremy breathed, his eyes wide in horror as he stepped closer to the body, “No...No fucking way...”

Michael reached out and grabbed for his wrist, but the blue-haired guy was quick to avoid it. “Jeremy, don't—”

“Mica!!” He called out, ignoring Michael's pleas, “Mica hold on we're—”

He took a step forward and stopped the second he heard a loud noise. The sound of growling was coming from the brush only a few feet away from the body. Whatever had attacked her was still around.

And judging by the growls getting louder and louder, they were ready for round two.

The four of them stood there completely frozen as the bushes continued to rustle and shake. It was mere seconds before the culprit to Mica's murder emerged through the clearing.

Dogs, a whole pack of them, adorned with elaborate steel masks over their mouths. Michael's eyes widened in horror, his jaw going slack at the sight of them. The pack continued to inch their way forward, snapping their metal jaws with a loud _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

“Holy _shit_ ,” Michael breathed, inching his way back.

“Th-This is a joke, right?” Jeremy looked over at Kerry,“Right?!”

The dirty blonde's eyes were dead set on the pack, his face as white as a sheet. “I, uh...vote we haul ass in case it's not.”

“Michael come on!” Gavin urged, taking the guy's hand and tugging him back. Michael stayed rooted to where he was, completely frozen in fear and in shock at what happened. His eyes fell down to Mica's lifeless body. She was just smiling at him minutes ago. They were just smiling and laughing and having a good time. Now here she was all torn apart. Gored. Another victim.

“Need a hand?” Someone asked out.

Michael snapped out of his daze and turned around sharply, looking over at the stranger standing directly behind him. His eyes went wide. Emerging from the other side of the path was the man he saw staring at him from the bus stop. He still had that knowing smirk on his face as he walked up, his hands casually resting in his coat pockets.

“Ryan!” Jeremy let out, sounding a mix of surprised and relieved, “H-How long have you been over there?”

“Little longer than you guys, judging by your panting,” He answered simply. Michael stared at the guy in shock. So this was Ryan. Mica wasn't lying when she said he was weird. There was a dead body right across from him and he was completely stoic.

The tall man turned to look at him and he immediately froze up, a flash of embarrassment coming over him after being caught staring. Ryan only smirked and went back to looking at the pack of dogs.

“We should try and be out of the park by sunset,” He remarked, “Unless any of you have a death wish and wanna play sacrifice.”

Kerry rapidly shook his head no. Everyone else remained silent.

“Thought not,” He looked back at the pack, “What to do, what to do...”

Michael could practically see the wheels turning in Ryan's head. It was actually kind of fascinating to watch. The guy was completely calm given everything that was happening.

And then Ryan looked at him. The redhead tensed and immediately looked away. He was caught staring again. Damn.

“Hey,” The man called, earning Michael's attention. The corner of his mouth turned up into a small smile, “Not to sound insensitive or anything...But your antsy-ness is kind of adorable.”

Michael's cheeks immediately went pink and he tensed up. “O-Oh, I wasn't—”

“It's alright,” He laughed, “My name's Ryan. And I'm about to be your best friend.”

Michael swallowed a little. “Uh...Hi, I'm...Michael.”

“I know,” Ryan remarked, a knowing smirk stretching across his lips once more. “I'm onto you, Michael Jones.”

Gavin's eyes immediately narrowed while Michael stood there with his jaw dropped. “W...Wait what—”

His question was immediately cut off at the sound of one of the dogs letting out a rough bark. He jumped a little in place and went back to looking at them. He'd almost forgotten, they were still in danger...

“I'm sure you've got a lot of questions for me, but right now we need to get out of here,” Ryan muttered, his eyes dead set on the pack inching towards them. Michael swallowed hard and tried not to shake so much, but his body completely betrayed him. The sound of their metal jaws, the sight of Mica's body...

“You can run, right?”

Michael snapped out of his stare and looked over at Ryan. Still eerily calm, and completely unphased. The dirty blonde gave him a small smile and tilted his head to the right.

“There's an observatory just up ahead,” He added, starting up in a sprint, “C'mon. Let's leg it.”

Before Michael could even register what he said, a strong hand suddenly wrapped around his wrist pulled him along. Ryan's hand didn't let go the entire time, his eyes locked on the observatory as the others trailed after him.

“Oi!” Gavin yelled, glaring at Ryan's hold on Michael's arm, “Watch it! He's not your dance partner!”

“Now's not the time for petty jealousy!” Ryan called back.

The five of them ran for their lives to the observatory. The second they made it, Ryan, Kerry, and Jeremy scrambled to lock all the doors while Michael and Gavin hung back to catch their breaths. The pack of metal-mouthed creatures waited patiently at the windows. It was unnerving, sure, but the guys were afforded some sort of breather.

“You okay Michael?” Ryan asked as he walked up to the rusty haired guy, “You look pale...”

'... _Mica..._ ' Michael thought to himself, not saying a word to anyone. They just left her there...

Gavin's face fell and he took a step up to him, patting his back gently. “It's alright Michael. It's gonna be alright...”

“Let's have a proper introduction,” Ryan spoke up. He held a hand out to Michael in solidarity, earning his attention. “My name is Ryan Haywood. I'm a jack of many trades, but mostly I'm an information junkie of sorts who likes uncovering the truth.”

Michael looked over at him in slight awe. He still couldn't get over how calm he was acting right now. Still, he held out a hand to him.

“M-Michael J—“

“Michael Jones, I know,” Ryan gave his hand a firm shake and held on, “Look, if I came on a bit strong back there, it's just my way of saying that I've been sort of keeping tabs on you.”

Gavin's eyes narrowed to slits at the man. Ryan just kept his eyes on Michael, his smile sincere.

“Come on, a guy's gotta do what he can to keep himself interesting,” He smiled even wider at Michael's worried face, “The murders around your old school, the bombings that shut it down, the Temple of Beacon. I've been following it all closely...”

Michael felt his insides burn and twist, but he still kept a hard look on his face. “Yeah? So what?”

“It seems that _you_ happen to be the common denominator here,” Ryan replied, knowing he nailed it with Michael's defensiveness. “The thing is, and please don't take this the wrong way, anybody with that kind of fucked up luck _has_ to be hiding something.”

The redhead swallowed hard, his mind racing a mile a minute. Does this guy know about his diary?

Ryan noticed his face and chuckled. “Dude, you have nothing to worry about. I don't think you're the evil madman behind all of this.”

' _Well that's a fucking relief_ ', Michael thought, though he wasn't all that convinced.

“I know a bloodthirsty psychopath's target when I see one,” Ryan assured, his smile soft yet sincere as he gestured to the window, “Believe it or not, my keeping tabs on you was trying to protect you from more of the same.”

“Th...Thanks I think?” Michael was still kind of confused. He wasn't sure where on earth this guy came from or what he was after exactly. Still, Ryan was nice enough to look out for them and get them to remote safety. That made him alright in his book.

“You really out to help him?” Gavin spoke up. His voice and smile were cheerful, but clearly fake. “No offense mate, but we don't know you. Considering the situation, the one controlling the dogs has to be nearby—possibly in this room. Maybe it's the loser.” The brunette pointed towards Jeremy. “Or it could be the asshole.” He pointed at Kerry. “Or perhaps the mingey pervert who led us here.” Finally he pointed over at Ryan with a large smile before Michael put his hand down.

“Knock it off, Gav.”

“Oh _shit!_ ” Kerry let out, jumping back as one of the dogs started clawing its way in. The others turned around and watched as the creatures started crowding up and slamming themselves against the panes. Jeremy was only a moment way from losing it while Kerry looked around in horror.

“This is...this is fucked up,” He stammered, “How are we supposed to not die?!”

Ryan looked around carefully. There were a lot of windows, and not enough bodies to block them.

“Can't say I'm liking these odds,” He made known, “If they attack us as a pack...”

“There's too many windows,” Jeremy added as he looked around, “There's no way we can block them all.”

Michael swallowed hard and reached into his pocket. It only took a minute to mentally debate over, but the thought of Mica's body made the decision clear as crystal for him. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, quickly scrolling through the entries in his diary.

“You know, Michael,” Gavin chirped out, looking over each of the Red-head's so-called 'Friends', “If we use them as decoys, we'd stand a pretty good chance of getting out of here.”

Both Ryan and Jeremy shot him a nasty look. Kerry looked horrified.

“S'a good plan,” The brit said with a shrug, his eyes narrowing over to Ryan, “Besides, one of 'em's probably trying to kill you.”

“Gavin, don't fucking start!” Michael bit. They couldn't be torn apart. Not now. Not when their lives were at stake. Kerry let out a frustrated grunt and ran straight for the window in front of him, placing his hands on it as one of the dogs tried to slam up against it.

“You know what? Fuck it!” He yelled, “And fuck you two! I'm not taking the fall for you assholes!”

Jeremy ran up to the window on Kerry's right, jumping as another dog jumped up and tried clawing at him through the glass. Michael swallowed hard and looked down at his phone. Looking at the situation would tell anyone it was bad, but his diary made it known for sure. If he stayed quiet, if he didn't say anything to the others about his diary and what to do, the dogs would break in and surround them. They would all end up like Mica.  
The image of her, alone, and torn up in the grass--It made his heart ache and pound at the same time. He couldn't let that happen. Not again. Not while he held the answers in his hand...

“Kerry!" He called out, "Block the window two windows to your left!”

Kerry looked over at him and frowned. “What?!”

"Michael, no!" Gavin insisted. 

“Just trust me!” Michael bit over at Kerry, ignoring Gavin's protest.

Kerry stayed rooted to where he was. “Fuck you! You're not the boss of me!”

Michael let out a frustrated growl and ran up to the window, bracing against it just in time as a dog came up and slammed against it. The impact caused him to stumble back and trip. Kerry's eyes went wide for a second, his jaw dropping in awe.

“Dude.”

Michael quickly pointed over to his far right. “Somebody block the third window left from the gate! Hurry up!”

“Got it!” Ryan ran over to the window without skipping a beat. Michael looked back down at his phone before looking over at Jeremy.

“Jeremy! Take the window just to your left!”

Jeremy's eyes went wide for a second before they burned with determination. “O-Okay!” He called back, stepping to his left and bracing up against the window. Another dog came up and slammed its body against the glass. Jeremy let out a small yelp.

“Hey Michael!”

The redhead turned to look at Kerry. The guy didn't look so afraid anymore. In fact, he looked ready to fight.

“Where do you need me?” He asked. The corner of Michael's mouth turned up and he pointed over to the second window to his right. Kerry rushed over there and blocked it without hesitation.

As the evening progressed, Michael directed each of them where to go with the help of his diary. Gavin continued to linger in the back, his expression dark as he watched them all run around. His hand immediately went to his left pocket and slipped inside, gripping the handle of a small buck knife tightly.

* * *

The sun had finally set when things started to slow down. When the moon and stars started to appear, things had finally let up. Michael looked around with a relieved smile. They all watched as the dogs had grown bored, pacing away from the teens before eventually retreating back to the woods. The sounds of barking and clanging had stopped. There was nothing but the sounds of their heavy breathing and sighs of relief. After a few minutes Kerry held two fists in the air and cried out loud.

“HELL YEAH! WE DID IT!!!”

“Oh my god,” Jeremy breathed out, wiping the sweat off his forehead, “Holy _shit_. We made it.”

“Hell yeah we did!” Kerry cheered, smiling triumphantly, “Call of Duty Zombies ain't got shit on us!”

He rushed up to Michael's side and slung an arm around him, pulling him close in friendly side-hug.

“Now that we got a Psychic on our team we can kick all kinds of ass! You’ve gotta post your talent to YouTube dude! People would lose their shit!”

Michael chuckled lightly and shrugged him off, looking down at his phone with a thankful smile. He actually did it. He saved people. It was all thanks to his diary.

“So what’s your phone gotta do with this, anyway?” Kerry asked as he looked down at the texts on his screen, “You were glued to it the entire time.”

Michael tensed up a bit.

“Oh, uh—W-well it kinda told me, uh... Wh-What windows the dogs would...go for,” He explained, flashing a crooked smile at the people around him.“I-I know it sounds fucking nuts, but I just read the texts. It's like a diary.”

Kerry flashed him a confused look. “Wait, what?”

“The iPhone has come a long way in the past few years,” Ryan remarked, “I gotta say though, an app that clues users in on the future is a new one.”

Michael was shocked, to be honest. He didn't know what reaction he'd get to everyone finding out about his diary, but he never thought everyone would be so chill about it. He looked back down at his phone as Kerry started asking a pile of questions about the app and how much it cost. When he looked back up he saw Jeremy come up to him with a light smile on his face. Michael couldn't help but smile back, even as Jeremy took the phone out of his hand. However, the smile dropped when the blue-haired guy walked over and got up behind him.

That's when Gavin's phone let out a static hiss, and the brunette immediately looked over at Jeremy with wide eyes.

“You really are amazing, Michael,” Jeremy scoffed, suddenly holding up a knife and pressing it to Michael's neck. The redhead's eyes went wide in horror and he froze up, looking to the right as Jeremy held up his cell phone.“You won't mind if I borrow this, right?”

“You bitch!” Gavin let out, his eyes flashing in anger as he stepped forward. Jeremy pressed the knife further against Michael's neck, looking very much ready to do whatever he needed to as Gavin started charging.

“Hold it!” A muffled voice let out, making Gavin stop in his tracks. The door behind Jeremy and Michael opened up with a creak, the figure behind it lingering in the dark for a second.

“Don't make a move just yet, dude,” The familiar voice chirped, “Michael already made his, which was surprising to be honest. And now it's my turn...”

Michael recognized that cheery voice in an instant and it made his stomach twist. No. There was no way. It couldn't be. He turned his head only slightly and watched as the figure stepped out from the dark and into the room.

It was Mica. Back from the dead, and smiling as she walked up beside Jeremy and took his phone into her hands.

“Sorry, Michael,” She professed, “But you've been had.”

Michael was at a loss for words. Was he seeing things?! The others were seeing this too, right?

“H...How the fuck are you still alive?” He asked out, “We all saw you get torn apart!”

She didn't answer him. Instead she simply scrolled through his diary entries, her brows knitting for a second.

“Don't even!” She barked out, looking over at Gavin as he managed to get a step closer. She pulled up her own phone and showed it to him. On the back of her case was the mark of Diana.

“You're good, but I know what you're gonna try to pull,” She stated. Gavin's eyes narrowed at her and that only made him look even more irate. She was a diary user. And she was holding Michael's phone in her hand.

“Don't get your panties in a wad, I'm not after your little _boyfriend_.” She remarked, reading his expression clear as day, “None of this crap was for either of you.”

It was clear that Gavin didn't believe her. Michael didn't either, but she didn't care. She was after one thing, and one thing only.

“It's not _your_ Future Diaries I'm after,” She glared and pointed over to Ryan directly across from her. “It's the Boy Detective's!”

All eyes went over to the tallish man as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. He looked back at each of them, smiling a crooked yet sly smile.

 


End file.
